As the Russian’s invasion on Ukrainian soil enters day 14, Volodomyr Zelensky has taken the biggest ever u-turn by saying that he is no longer interested in NATO membership. Expressing Ukraine’s willingness to compromise over the status of two break-away pro-Russian territories, Zelensky appeared to waive a white flag in his latest interview.
On the issue of Ukraine seeking NATO membership, Zelensky said that he cooled down regarding this question a long time ago as he has understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine. Alleging that NATO is afraid of controversial things and confrontation with Russia, the Ukrainian President added that he does not want to be the president of a country, which is begging on its knees.
Expressing that he is open to dialogue with Ukraine, Zelensky said that the two regions have not been recognized by anyone but Russia. He expressed willingness to discuss and find compromise on how these territories will live on. Speaking about how the question is more difficult that simply acknowledging them, Zelenksky said that it is important to him how the people in those territories are going to live who want to be a part of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, NATO urged Russia to ensure that the conflict doesn’t spread beyond Ukraine. NATO secretary general Jens Stolenberg said that the Russian invasion was causing horrific suffering and the humanitarian impact was devastating. He also expressed that NATO will protect and defend every inch of all allied territory. His statement came after Zelensky said Ukraine does not want NATO membership.
