Zelenskyy ready to discuss everything with Trump, including NATO, but sets red lines
Ukraine is ready to discuss all aspects of a future peace with the US, including its NATO membership.
As reported by a European Pravda correspondent from Munich, the president said during a meeting with journalists in Munich that Ukraine has set no preconditions for a meeting with Donald Trump and is open to discussing any issue.
"I have told President Trump that I am ready to talk at any time – without conditions. We are prepared to discuss everything, from troop deployments to NATO," Zelenskyy said.
He acknowledged that he understands the US reluctance to allow Ukraine into NATO and is unsure whether that will change in the future.
"Today, neither America nor President Trump is willing to discuss NATO. They believe Ukraine cannot be part of NATO. They see Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, as enshrined in our Constitution, as a key reason for Russia’s occupation," he underlined.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine does not rule out the possibility of adjusting its approach to NATO membership.
"Do we want to be in NATO? Yes. But is it just about the word ‘NATO’? No – it’s about security guarantees," he noted.
In this case, he stressed, the main issue would be the specifics of those security guarantees, including the parameters of a peacekeeping mission and the size of Ukraine’s military. If Ukraine does not join NATO, Zelenskyy estimates that its army would need to grow to 1.5 million troops.
When asked by European Pravda about red lines, he named one: Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
"Legally, we will never recognize these territories as 'Russian' or anything else–they are Ukrainian. That is a firm red line; it's in our Constitution. And only the people of Ukraine can decide this," he added.
US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not see Ukraine joining NATO due to Russia’s opposition and has blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for "provoking" Moscow into a full-scale war.
However, on 14 February, Reuters, citing a senior US official, reported that Washington is not ruling out Ukraine’s NATO membership in the future.