In an interview with Sky News this Friday, November 29, Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that a ceasefire could be concluded if the Ukrainian territory under kyiv’s control is placed “under the aegis of NATO.”
“This is a solution to end the hot phase of the war, we can give NATO membership to the Ukrainian territories that we control,” said the Ukrainian president.
“It would be possible, but no one has offered it,” he added. The latter estimated that NATO should “immediately” cover the part of Ukraine under kyiv’s control, support that his country “urgently needs”, to “guarantee that Putin will not return.”
Zelensky sees “working directly” with Donald Trump
“We must act quickly. And then, in the territory. [occupé] Ukraine will be able to recover them through diplomatic channels,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
While he rejects the idea of recognizing that the occupied territories belong to Russia, it is the first time that Ukraine’s president has raised the idea of a loss, at least temporarily, of some of his country’s internationally recognized territory. Until then, Volodymyr Zelensky had declared that he would not give up any territory, including Crimea, forcibly annexed by Russia in March 2014.
The idea of a solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has gained increasing weight in recent weeks and, in particular, since Donald Trump’s victory in early November. The president-elect of the United States declared during his campaign that he could end this war within 24 hours. Asked about his relations with the future tenant of the White House, Volodymyr Zelensky shared his desire to “work directly with him because there are different voices around him.”
“That is why we should not [permettre] anyone who destroys our communication. This will be of no use and will be destructive. We must try to find a new model. I want to share ideas with him and I want to listen to him,” said the Ukrainian leader. Last September, the president of Ukraine presented Donald Trump with his “victory plan”, which did not include the surrender of his country’s smallest territory.
After more than 1,000 days of open war against Russia, Moscow controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
Source: BFM TV
