Ukraine Reports Fresh Counterattacks Against Russian Forces In The South

“We are ready to accept that,” Zelensky said. “This is the most important point.”
Zelensky and Ukrainian officials have long said they are willing to talk about neutrality for Ukraine if NATO is not ready to accept the country as a member of the alliance. This, in theory, would satisfy one of the demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin: for Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions. But it is not that simple. Zelensky has also made it clear that Ukraine would reject “neutrality” without legally binding security guarantees. And with Ukraine invading by Russia, the Ukrainian leader has said he is not interested in empty promises. “I’m interested in making sure that the Budapest Memorandum is not just another piece of paper,” he said. Zelensky referred to a moment in post-Cold War history that he remembers little. With the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine – at least on paper – occupied the third largest nuclear stockpile in the world. Russia retained operational control of these weapons, but Ukraine signed an agreement in 1994 to give up nuclear weapons stationed on its territory in exchange for security guarantees, including the protection of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence. This is something that Russia, which has signed the Budapest Memorandum, resolutely pressed with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in February. Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky’s senior adviser, said the security guarantees should, in essence, include a commitment from the guarantors to help Ukraine in the event of an attack.
And it is important to note that neutrality – one that Putin may find pleasing – is not something that Zelensky can simply offer. The ambition to join NATO is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. There, Zelensky gave the Russian interviewers a lesson in Ukraine’s democratic processes. Security guarantees, he explained, should be followed by a referendum in Ukraine.
“Why? Why do we have a law on referendums?” Zelensky said. And that’s the difference. Russia has a political system built around one man – Putin – and Zelensky is the head of a democratic state. Even if neutrality is on the table, the Ukrainian people must have their say.

title: “Ukraine Reports Fresh Counterattacks Against Russian Forces In The South " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Vicky Rosen”

“We are ready to accept that,” Zelensky said. “This is the most important point.”
Zelensky and Ukrainian officials have long said they are willing to talk about neutrality for Ukraine if NATO is not ready to accept the country as a member of the alliance. This, in theory, would satisfy one of the demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin: for Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions. But it is not that simple. Zelensky has also made it clear that Ukraine would reject “neutrality” without legally binding security guarantees. And with Ukraine invading by Russia, the Ukrainian leader has said he is not interested in empty promises. “I’m interested in making sure that the Budapest Memorandum is not just another piece of paper,” he said. Zelensky referred to a moment in post-Cold War history that he remembers little. With the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine – at least on paper – occupied the third largest nuclear stockpile in the world. Russia retained operational control of these weapons, but Ukraine signed an agreement in 1994 to give up nuclear weapons stationed on its territory in exchange for security guarantees, including the protection of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence. This is something that Russia, which has signed the Budapest Memorandum, resolutely pressed with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in February. Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky’s senior adviser, said the security guarantees should, in essence, include a commitment from the guarantors to help Ukraine in the event of an attack.
And it is important to note that neutrality – one that Putin may find pleasing – is not something that Zelensky can simply offer. The ambition to join NATO is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. There, Zelensky gave the Russian interviewers a lesson in Ukraine’s democratic processes. Security guarantees, he explained, should be followed by a referendum in Ukraine.
“Why? Why do we have a law on referendums?” Zelensky said. And that’s the difference. Russia has a political system built around one man – Putin – and Zelensky is the head of a democratic state. Even if neutrality is on the table, the Ukrainian people must have their say.