President's Office says Ukraine won’t accept any model of neutrality offered by Russia
Ukraine will not adopt the so-called "Swedish or Austrian model of neutrality" to end the war with Russia as proposed by the Kremlin, advisor to the chief-of-staff of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak told the Novoye Vremya weekly news magazine on March 16.
Earlier, a representative of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the sides had discussed the issue of "Ukraine's demilitarization under the Austrian or Swedish model" at talks between Ukraine and Russia.
However, no evidence of this has yet been provided.
"The model can only be 'Ukrainian' and only with legally verified 'security guarantees.' And (there can be) no other models or options," Podolyak said.
He emphasized that the "Ukrainian" model provides for two key aspects:
• Absolute security guarantees. Valid ones, not protocols or “Budapest” (memorandum-style) ones. This means that the signatories of the guarantees do not stand aside if Ukraine is attacked as they do today, but take an active part on the side of Ukraine in the conflict and officially ensure the immediate supply of the necessary weapons to the country.
• Ukraine should no longer depend on bureaucratic procedures that allow or do not allow protecting its skies from cruise missiles, and insists on direct and firm guarantees that a no-fly zone will definitely be imposed.
"I would like to add that Ukraine has never been a military state that attacked or planned to attack its neighbors. Unlike (a certain one of) these neighbors," the advisor said.
"That is why today Ukraine wants to have a really strong pool of allies with clearly defined security guarantees…"
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