Zelenskyy warns NATO against giving Russia security concessions while war in Ukraine continues

NATO must take into account that Russia is still at war

According to the president, the diesel deal between the United States and Russia has shown that various further steps could follow, although it is difficult to predict them at this point.

He also recalled that the Kremlin has repeatedly returned, in one form or another, to the issue of security guarantees on its own terms.

“They say, ‘If you want security guarantees for Ukraine, then we want them for Russia.’ We need to understand what Russia means by this. It is not simply about Ukraine refraining from striking Russia. For them, this is a much broader and more specific issue,” Zelenskyy explained.

The president added that Russia effectively wants its own agreement with NATO or with the United States as a key member of the alliance.

Zelenskyy said he did not yet know all the details, but nevertheless issued an important warning to Ukraine’s allies.

“We cannot discuss any global security guarantees for Russia until it becomes clear how and on what terms its war against Ukraine will end, and until we know what security guarantees we will have. First, we need to resolve the issue of this war, and only then seek answers to the questions Russia raises based on its own views and expectations regarding security,” the president stressed.

What security guarantees is Russia seeking?

In Zelenskyy’s view, security guarantees for Russia would mean changing the security framework in Europe and around the world.

He also suggested that Russia had raised this very issue during a meeting with former U.S. President Joe Biden, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. In other words, this is not a new demand from Moscow, either for Ukraine or for the international community.

“When they raise this issue again now, it is certainly also about NATO’s role. The countries that belong to NATO know where they stand. They do not need to discuss this with Russia, which is not a NATO member. But Russia could raise the question again: could NATO withdraw, or could some NATO infrastructure be pulled out? This is certainly not a question for Ukraine, because we are not a member of the alliance. If we were members, we would say, ‘No, we cannot make concessions on this,’” Zelenskyy stressed.

NATO will make its own decisions

Against the backdrop of recent developments, the Ukrainian president noted that withdrawing NATO forces from a particular territory or removing some of the alliance’s infrastructure would be a decision for NATO member states to make.

“Not Russia’s decision, but not Ukraine’s either. I believe that any retreat, any rollback in security, would be a sign of weakness for the alliance,” the president added.

Nevertheless, he noted that Washington had already sent signals from a different perspective regarding the presence of US troops in Europe and possible reductions in their numbers.

Earlier, media reports said that Putin would demand that NATO roll back its borders to their 1997 positions during negotiations on peace in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also recently announced a meeting involving Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and NATO later this week.