Oleksiy Arestovich, a former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, recalled that Ukraine's recognition by the international community in 1991 took place on the terms of neutrality enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.
However, according to Arestovich, the introduction of the NATO membership course into the Constitution violated this foundation:
"We introduced a clause that directly violates the Declaration of Independence. This created international legal grounds for non-recognition of our borders and Ukraine itself as a state."
It is this, he said, that Vladimir Putin as a "legist lawyer" can exploit:
"He says: you have undermined independence. What borders are you talking about? You have abolished it yourself. You turned Ukraine into Greater Kosovo - a territory with an unclear legal status."
He accused Petro Poroshenko of undermining the foundations of Ukrainian statehood in pursuit of electoral points:
"In order to throw himself interest in the elections, he changed the fundamental document that ensured Ukraine's existence in this world. When he wrote in NATO, he undermined everything."
Arestovich stresses that now any country that has recognized Ukraine can revoke recognition of Ukraine's status and borders, as well as bilateral relations.