Zelenskyy: Ukraine will abandon NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees
Ukraine will abandon its ambition to join the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks in Berlin, Reuters.com writes .
Today's meeting in Berlin, photo from Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram channel
The move marks a significant pivot for Ukraine, which has been campaigning for NATO membership as a guarantee of protection against Russian attacks and has even enshrined this ambition in its constitution. It also aligns with one of Russia's goals in the war, although Kyiv has so far firmly refused to cede territory to Moscow.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that security guarantees from the US, Europe, and other partners instead of NATO membership are a compromise on Ukraine's part.
"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO â these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the USA and Europe did not support this direction," he said in response to journalists' questions in a WhatsApp chat.
"Therefore, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the USA, guarantees for us similar to Article 5, from the USA, as well as security guarantees from European colleagues and other countries â Canada, Japan â are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion," Zelenskyy stated.
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