President Zelenskyy dismisses media leaks on NATO membership in exchange for territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
Ukraine has not received any offers to trade its occupied territories for NATO membership, though such thoughts might exist among some of Kyiv’s partners, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We are not discussing this. However, I believe that these media leaks are not coincidental," Zelenskyy responded when asked if membership in NATO could be exchanged for the occupied territories.
He did not rule out the possibility that "some partners may have such thoughts."
"That's why they do not communicate these questions to me directly, but it's clear that they are testing the waters through the media. I think it all depends on Ukrainian society," the president said.
He added that in all negotiations, Ukraine is currently raising the issue of security guarantees. "The best option is NATO. During the war – an invitation, a completely open one, with a strong position in any diplomacy format. This invitation, in my view, does not depend on Russia’s opinion. Once certain partners are confident that they are stronger than Russia, we will see positive developments in this direction," Zelenskyy added.
When asked whether there could be talks about partial NATO membership without the occupied territories, Zelenskyy said: "Everyone understands that no matter what path we take, no one will legally recognize the occupied territories as belonging to other states."
The president emphasized that the invitation to join NATO must be extended to Ukraine in its internationally recognized borders.
"For me, this is a fundamental issue: to receive an invitation during the war. I believe it is a strong part of the package we are proposing. It is not just an invitation; it’s an invitation while the war is still ongoing. How accession will happen and how long it will take are the next steps, which will involve diplomacy. There can be various formats," Zelenskyy added.
It should be noted that last week, Zelenskyy accused Ukraine’s partners of pushing for a deal in which Kyiv would exchange its Russia-occupied territories for NATO membership. According to him, this is being discussed behind the scenes, but no one has approached him with such proposals.
