Only NATO with Ukraine Will Be Full Security Guarantee for Europe, Says UK Foreign Secretary

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy believes that Ukraine's accession to NATO is the most effective way to guarantee peace in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region, Ukrinform reports.  

Speaking at the International Security Forum in Munich, Lammy explained the UK's position.  

‘At the appropriate time, we will start a debate on security guarantees. And we quite rightly argue that there is an irreversible path for Ukraine to join NATO, which is the cheapest and best mechanism for ensuring peace not only in Europe but in the whole Euro-Atlantic,’ he said.  

Lammy recalled that a month before the full-scale invasion, he visited Ukraine when the OSCE mission was monitoring the border.  

‘Russia has violated the agreements dozens of times. We cannot go back to that. We cannot go back to Minsk. It will not work,’ he stressed.  

The Minister noted that the defence of the 1,200-kilometre border with Russia requires significant human and material resources. He acknowledged that Ukraine's defence capabilities are already significant, but ultimately the country will need collective security guarantees from the West.  

‘We will have to reach an agreement under which both Ukraine will have a guarantee and we will have a collective guarantee that if Russia violates its obligations, we will be able to act. Then it will be a sufficient threat to prevent it from doing so,’ Lammy explained, adding that this issue needs to be resolved in the coming months.  

He also reminded that the UK has pledged three billion pounds annually to support Ukraine as long as the war continues.  

According to him, currently 60% of total aid to Ukraine comes from Europe, but he has concerns about its contribution.  

‘But there are questions to Europe. If we look at the total GDP, it is about 0.01% that we spend on fighting for Ukraine. We know that this is the front line not only for Ukraine but also for Europe. We also know that even when we achieve peace through negotiations, Putin will not go away. Therefore, this is an existential issue for Europe,’ the minister stressed.  

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO remains relevant.