The position of Kyiv regarding NATO membership was described as "firm," with the observation that this course has long been enshrined in the Constitution and is supported by the majority of Ukrainian society.
"The only effective guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership. Moreover, Ukraine's membership is a guarantee of NATO's own security. Additionally, full membership of Ukraine is, forgive my cynicism, also the cheapest option for ensuring European security," the diplomat stated.
Regarding alternative options that may be proposed to Ukraine during negotiations for a peace agreement, Sibiga noted that "we have already been through those."
"We saw how the Budapest Memorandum failed. The creation of any gray zones only leads to further escalations," he emphasized.
Sibiga also shared details of a conversation with a foreign colleague who attended the Bucharest summit in 2008. At that time, a decision could have been made to offer Ukraine and Georgia a Membership Action Plan. According to him, the then-illegitimate president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, "directly threatened European leaders that he would occupy Ukraine if such a decision was made."
"As we know, the Alliance exhibited weakness and historical shortsightedness at that time. And what did we see afterward? Russia occupied Georgia, then it occupied and annexed Crimea, and now we have a full-scale war. These mistakes must not be repeated. Strong decisions are needed to create strategic guarantees for transatlantic security. And that is Ukraine's membership in NATO," Sibiga emphasized.
In summary, the diplomat stressed that other tools, including bilateral security agreements with partners, are components of Ukraine's preparation for joining the Alliance and a means of strengthening it, but they cannot replace NATO membership.