Russia has warned NATO nations against giving Ukraine security guarantees, portraying this as a risky error that would have an impact on Moscow and expose Europe to bigger risks in the years to come.
An international framework that lays the way for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine to strengthen its defences against Russia and stave off further aggression was announced on Wednesday by the Group of Seven (G7) countries.
The United States, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, and the European Union said the measures include things like modern advanced military equipment, training, intelligence sharing, and cyberdefence in a joint declaration that other countries can join.
Ukraine would promise to take better governance measures in exchange, including judicial and economic reforms and increased transparency.
“We consider this move to be badly mistaken and potentially very dangerous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to the security assurances. “By providing any kind of security guarantees for Ukraine, these countries would be ignoring the international principle on the indivisibility of security. By providing guarantees to Ukraine, they would be impinging on the security of the Russian Federation.”
He continued by saying that Russia could not accept anything endangering its security and expressed his hope that the West would understand the dangers involved in its choice.
In the medium, long, and even short terms, such a move is “fraught with highly negative consequences,” said Peskov.
“By taking such a decision, these countries will make Europe much more dangerous for many many years to come. And of course, they will do a disservice to us, something we will take into account and keep in mind in [the] future.”
The G7 security assurances, according to a British government statement, outline how allies will back Ukraine over the following years to put an end to the war that Russia started last year “and deter and respond to any future attack.”
The G7 commitment, which was accepted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was not a replacement for Ukraine’s membership to the NATO military alliance, which Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for.
The conclusion of a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania on Wednesday saw members express optimism about Ukraine’s potential membership but refrain from providing a timeline or official invitation.
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SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
