Zelenskyy believes that Germany has softened opposition to Ukraine's NATO invitation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Berlin has eased its scepticism about Ukraine's accession to NATO. 

Zelenskyy said in a conversation with journalists on Monday that it was a fact that the German side was sceptical about Ukraine's accession to NATO, noting that they seem afraid of Russia’s reaction. At the same time, he said that "their assessment is softer than it was before". 

Zelenskyy believes that a change in Germany's position depends on the United States. "We believe that they [Germany and the US] are consolidating their views on NATO, and this has an impact, for example, on Hungary and Slovakia," he added. 

"After the election, we hope for a more positive reaction from the US. Not because of the change of president, but simply because the focus, the attention of the United States is now on the election. I believe that in any case, any harsh statements from the United States today are probably inappropriate or have challenges. I think they don't want to take unnecessary risks," he concluded.

On 17 October in Brussels, Zelenskyy said he hoped to convince Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the long-range weapons being important to Ukraine. He also hoped that Germany would support granting Ukraine an invitation to NATO.

Commenting on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Victory Plan, one of its points being Ukraine's invitation to NATO, Scholz said that he has made decisions that "will not change".