Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that NATO is afraid that having Kiev join the US-led bloc will spark a conflict with Russia. The statement comes amid the Russian military campaign against his country.
Zelensky was asked by ABC News on Monday if he was willing to renounce Ukraine’s bid to join NATO one day.
“I’ve become less passionate about this issue after we understood that NATO isn’t ready to accept Ukraine. The alliance is afraid of controversial things and a confrontation with Russia,” Zelensky said.
“I’ve never wanted Ukraine to be a country that is on its knees, begging for something. And we’re not going to be that country.”
Spurt igjen hva hans svar til Putin er på de tre kravene, viser Zelenskyj til de midlertidige okkuperte områdene og de to ukrainske regionene som Russland har anerkjent som uavhengige:
– Vi kan diskutere og finne et kompromiss på hvordan disse territoriene skal leve videre. Det som er viktig for meg er hvordan de folkene i disse territoriene skal leve videre, de som ønsker å være en del av Ukraina, sier Zelenskyj.