Zelenskyy: NATO will only accept Ukraine as a member after victory

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes Ukraine will not be able to become a member of NATO until it has won the war against Russia.

Zelenskyy was describing the timeline for Ukraine's NATO membership.

"I believe we will only join NATO after our victory. I do not believe that NATO will accept us while the war is going on. For some NATO members it’s risky, and for some, there is simply scepticism because of it," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram.

"The question of [joining] NATO, as the Secretary General has correctly stated, is a question of majority. And the majority is a political issue. In order for Ukraine to be politically accepted into the Alliance, we need to win," Zelenskyy added.

When it comes to Ukraine's membership of the Alliance, Zelenskyy believes that "no one will raise" questions about compatibility with NATO and the level of the Ukrainian military.

The president thinks the fact that Ukraine was not a member of NATO is one of the reasons for the current war.

"There was scepticism on the part of some members many years ago, and Russia cooperated very closely with our current partners, engaging in dialogue with them. It [Russia] did all it could to prevent Ukraine from joining not only NATO but also the European Union. [Its goal was] to hinder Ukraine's development and keep it under Russian influence," Zelenskyy pointed out.

In an address to the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he could not predict when Ukraine would become a member of NATO.

In his speech, Stoltenberg also expressed his respect for the Ukrainian soldiers who are holding back Russian aggression.

Prior to that, Stoltenberg met with President Zelenskyy. Among other things, they discussed the Secretary General's idea of a special €100 billion NATO fund to support Ukraine.