In Kyiv, there are fears that security guarantees will prove unreliable, and people are preparing to rely only on themselves, – Politico

Ukrainian authorities fear that the country may have to defend itself on its own in the event of a new Russian invasion—and that Western security guarantees could prove useless.

Politico writes about this.

The outlet notes that “any security guarantees look highly unreliable,” so Kyiv’s “Plan B” is to rely on its own strength.

Ukraine’s head of mission to NATO, Alona Hetmanchuk, said that Kyiv has undergone a “fundamental rethinking of what security guarantees mean and what they should be based on.”

Politico пишет that without joining NATO, Ukraine would have to rely on special agreements with Western partners, which may not carry the same weight as Alliance obligations. Kyiv views such deals cautiously because it has already been burned by empty promises from the United States and the United Kingdom under the Budapest Memorandum.

These concerns are reinforced by what the outlet calls “the unreliability of Donald Trump’s promises, driven by his abrupt policy shifts.”

For this reason, Politico reports, Kyiv is betting on the “steel porcupine” concept voiced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The concept envisions an 800,000-strong Ukrainian army, as well as domestic production of missiles and drones.

“Previously, the main focus was on protection commitments provided by partners. Today, there is a clear understanding that the core of any security guarantees must be the Ukrainian army and its defense industry. This reflects both disappointment with previously given security commitments to Ukraine and skepticism about the prospects of NATO membership, as well as growing confidence in Ukraine’s ability to withstand the enemy,” Hetmanchuk said.