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'Utter bulls***' — Ukraine rejects Russia's demand to abandon NATO membership promise

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'Utter bulls***' — Ukraine rejects Russia's demand to abandon NATO membership promise
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 13, 2024. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

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.

Withdraw Bucharest pledge — Russia says ban on Ukraine’s NATO accession ’key’ condition for resolving war
Moscow sees a ban on Ukraine’s entry to NATO as a key condition in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, the pro-Kremlin news agency Interfax reported on Jan. 24, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
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"The Russians personally visited the central districts of Kyiv, in particular Independence Square, assessed the situation on the spot and further adjusted... the operational plan of neutralizing protest actions with the forceful dispersal of demonstrators," the State Bureau of Investigation said.

"Last night, Poland's airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. The assessment of Polish and NATO air forces is that they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a video statement.

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Poland, NATO’s eastern frontline state, is facing its most serious security challenge in decades. Western officials have warned of the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia in the coming years, but are Poland — and NATO — truly prepared for such escalation?

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