The Ukrainian president stressed that this should be a serious agreement, not just another piece of paper like the Budapest memorandum.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to discuss security guarantees and non-aligned status.
The head of state said this in an interview with Russian media.
"Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state. We are ready to go for it. This is the most important point. This was the first point of principle for the Russian Federation, as far as I remember. And as far as I remember, they started the war because of this," Zelensky said.
He also stressed that this must be a serious treaty, not just another piece of paper like the Budapest Memorandum.
"That's why this clause is a security guarantee clause for Ukraine. And since they say that these are guarantees for them as well, it is clear to me. And it's being discussed. It's in-depth, but I'm interested in making sure it's not just another piece of paper a la the Budapest Memorandum. We are interested in turning this paper into a serious agreement," Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine could decide on the neutral status in a referendum, because the corresponding changes in the Constitution would take at least a year.
"There must necessarily be a referendum in Ukraine. Why? Because we have a law about referendums. Security guarantees imply a neutral status, and these are constitutional changes. That's two sessions. A referendum is a step faster than changing the Constitution. So a referendum - because only the people can decide that there will be such a status and such guarantees. The referendum will happen within a few months, while changes to the Constitution will take at least a year, according to our current law. At least a year," Zelensky said.
