Ukraine must join NATO as one country with all its territories intact, Zelenskyy says
(VOVWORLD) - Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that part of Ukraine cannot join NATO without the rest of its territories.
 Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Germany. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
He told newly appointed President of the European Council Antonio Costa in Kiyv that NATO can’t invite just part of Ukraine to join the bloc, because that would be to admit that the other territories no longer belong to Ukraine. Ukraine will never accept that, he stressed.
In an interview with the British TV channel Sky News, Zelenskyy said he is ready to sign a ceasefire agreement without the temporarily occupied territories in exchange for NATO membership in order to return them "diplomatically." But the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine will not be recognized as Russian under any circumstances.
He said that joining NATO would be the best guarantee of security for Ukraine, and that, like integration into the EU, is a matter of principle.