Putin fears Ukraine could join EU, says Zelenskyy
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Russian President Vladimir Putin fears that Ukraine could succeed, particularly by joining the European Union, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Le Point.
"Putin is very afraid that Ukraine will succeed. In every sense of the word. He is afraid that Ukraine will actually join the EU. And I am not talking about institutions, I am talking about the absence of borders between Ukraine and EU countries," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, people in Ukraine are already free, and Putin does not like that, since Russians might follow their example.
Zelenskyy also recalled that Putin opposed Ukraine’s NATO membership, not because the Alliance posed a threat, but because NATO was about defense rather than offense.
"Our situation is like when you have a very bad neighbor who envies your success. You have a family, you are loved, and he is not loved. And this person doesn’t even go outside, doesn’t leave his room, afraid that someone will spit in his face. That is Ukraine’s problem. Putin does not like to see Ukraine succeed. But Ukraine will succeed," the President added.
Russia opposes Ukraine joining the EU and NATO
Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not want Ukraine to join the EU or NATO. This is one of the Kremlin’s conditions for ending the war against Ukraine.
Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlined the Kremlin’s conditions, which he said would guarantee a lasting peace.
According to Lavrov, achieving lasting peace requires recognizing and legally formalizing the new territorial realities following the annexation of Crimea, Sevastopol, the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic), and LPR (Luhansk People's Republic), as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions by Russia as a result of so-called referendums.
"Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status must be ensured. These conditions were spelled out in Ukraine’s 1990 Declaration of Independence, and Russia and the international community used them to recognise the Ukrainian statehood," Lavrov stated.
The conditions outlined by the Russian foreign minister largely match the demands previously announced by President Vladimir Putin for peace with Ukraine:
- Officially recognize Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as Russian.
- Stop receiving Western weapons.
- Declare neutrality.
- Refrain from joining NATO or other military alliances in the future.
