Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding security guarantees from NATO and additional arms supplies before beginning peace talks with Vladimir Putin, writes The Telegraph.
Zelensky emphasized at a press conference during a meeting with the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaya Callas and the President of the European Council Antonio Costa that the invitation of Ukraine to NATO is necessary for the survival of the country.
According to the publication, Zelensky has also expressed his willingness to temporarily give up the territories occupied by Russia and later renegotiate them diplomatically. However, he called on NATO to offer guaranteed protection to Kiev-controlled parts of Ukraine to end the “hot phase of the war”.
Ukrainian leader sees progress with NATO and arms supplies as preconditions for talks The Ukrainian president stressed that his country must have a “strong position” before talks with the Kremlin begin. To that end, he called for progress with NATO and a significant number of long-range defense weapons. “Only when we fulfill all these conditions and are strong, we can define the very important agenda for a meeting with one or another of the killers”, Zelensky said.
Kaya Kalas explained that NATO membership is the strongest guarantee for Ukraine's security. However, according to the report, NATO diplomats consider Ukraine's rapid accession quite unrealistic, as many members fear being drawn into the war with Russia. Zelensky himself also admitted this and emphasized that Kyiv does not have unrealistic expectations regarding NATO membership.
In an interview with a Japanese agency, Zelensky admitted that currently the Ukrainian army is not strong enough to take back the territories occupied by the Russian army, including Crimea. Ukraine will seek a quick end to the war with Russia and return part of its territory from Moscow through diplomatic channels after Kiev's membership in NATO becomes certain, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
„Our army lacks the strength to do this. "It's true," Zelensky said and added: "We need to find a diplomatic solution." But he pointed out that such steps should be considered only “when we know we are strong enough” so that Russia cannot show new aggression against Ukraine.