Ukraine criticized a 30-year-old agreement on Tuesday that led to its relinquishment of nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees that have not been fulfilled, as it intensifies efforts to secure an invitation to join NATO.

In light of renewed Russian aggression and concerns over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump‘s potential approach to the conflict, Kyiv is urgently seeking strong security assurances to safeguard its sovereignty.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry referenced the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which resulted in Kyiv giving up the third-largest nuclear arsenal globally for security commitments, including those from Russia, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“Today, the Budapest Memorandum stands as a testament to the shortsightedness in strategic security planning,” the ministry stated, commemorating the anniversary of the Dec. 5, 1994, agreement.

It emphasized that the memorandum should remind current leaders in the Euro-Atlantic community that constructing a European security framework that overlooks Ukraine’s interests is bound to fail.

Since 2014, Ukraine has condemned the memorandum, predating the 2022 invasion when Russian forces occupied and annexed Crimea and supported paramilitary groups in eastern Ukraine.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of thousands, reached a fragile ceasefire after numerous discussions under the framework of the Minsk agreements.

Despite nearly three years of intense warfare, Kyiv has hesitated to engage in similar negotiations that might lead to a temporary ceasefire while leaving the door open for a potential new Russian offensive.

“Enough of the Budapest Memorandum. Enough of the Minsk Agreements. Twice is enough; we cannot fall into the same trap a third time. We simply have no right to do so,” stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Kyiv is urging NATO members to extend an invitation during the upcoming meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers, which begins on Tuesday, as the invasion approaches its three-year anniversary and Russia continues to make territorial advances. The foreign ministry’s statement called on the United States and Britain, both signatories of the 1994 memorandum, along with France and China, which it claims also endorsed it, to support the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine.

“We firmly believe that the only genuine guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent against further Russian aggression towards Ukraine and other nations, is Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the statement emphasized.

Russia views the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO as a significant threat to its security and categorically rejects the idea.