'Utter bulls***' — Ukraine rejects Russia's demand to abandon NATO membership promise
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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry dismissed Russia's demand to cancel NATO's 2008 promise of eventual membership for Ukraine, calling it "utter bul***it" in a Jan. 24 statement.
The response comes after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko criticized NATO's 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration, calling it "catastrophic for European security."
"Aw shucks, North Korea's ally issuing ultimatums to NATO. Utter bul***it," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi in response to Grushko's remarks. "Moscow has no say here."
Instead, the ministry praised NATO's decision at the time and reiterated Kyiv's commitment to joining the alliance.
"European security architecture is built on protection from Russia," Tykhyi said.
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. While NATO members pledged at the 2024 Washington Summit that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," they have yet to extend a formal invitation.
Russian officials, as well as Western intellectuals with a track record of anti-Ukraine narratives have repeatedly cited Ukraine's potential NATO membership as a justification for the invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged opposition from several NATO members, including the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia, but expressed hope that U.S. President Donald Trump could sway support for Kyiv's entry.
There is little evidence that the new administration would be more open to Ukraine's NATO membership than former U.S. President Joe Biden.
Trump has previously criticized NATO and blamed Biden for allegedly supporting Ukraine's aspirations and provoking Russia's invasion.
