Kyiv: Ukraine announced on Tuesday that it will not consider any alternatives to full membership in NATO, reflecting on the 'failure' of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum as its 30th anniversary approaches. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized that past experiences have solidified their stance on NATO membership, which they view as the sole security guarantee for the nation. According to Anadolu Agency, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that joining NATO is crucial to dispel Moscow's 'illusions' regarding Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. The statement highlighted the failure of the Budapest Memorandum to provide effective security guarantees in the 1990s, labeling it a 'strategic mistake' exploited by Russia, which has contributed to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The ministry further outlined the broader implications of the memorandum's failure, noting that it has significantly increased security threats not only for Ukraine but also for regions including Europe, the Euro-Atlantic area, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and international peace and security at large. The Budapest Memorandum is characterized as a 'monument to short-sightedness in strategic security decision-making.' In urging the Euro-Atlantic community to learn from past mistakes, the ministry called on the US and the UK, signatories of the Budapest Memorandum, along with France, China, and all parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to support Ukraine's security guarantees. The upcoming 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum is seen as an opportune moment to advance Ukraine's accession to the Washington Treaty. The Budapest Memorandum, signed on December 3, 1994, by Ukraine, Russia, the UK, and the US, was intended to provide security assurances to Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in connection with their accession to the NPT.