On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has scrapped his ambitions of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and also suggested that he is amenable to a compromise with Russia over Donetsk and Luhansk.
⚡️Russia claims it will stop the war immediately if Ukraine agrees to:
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 7, 2022
- cease military action
- change constitution to enshrine neutrality
- recognize Crimea as Russian territory
- recognize the Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states
During an interview with ABC News, Zelensky said he has “cooled down” about the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO after recognising the Alliance’s reluctance to grant Kyiv entry. Ever since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale military attack on Ukraine two weeks ago, Zelensky has made multiple failed requests to NATO for membership to utilise the Alliance’s massive military presence in order to counter Russian forces. Criticising NATO’s refusal to acknowledge Ukraine’s membership bid, Zelensky remarked, “The Alliance is afraid of controversial things and confrontation with Russia,” adding that Ukraine is not a country that will beg for something on its knees.
NATO is concerned that offering Ukraine membership could further destabilise the region and also pull it into a war that it does not want to participate in, due to the Alliance’s governing principle of collective self-defence. In fact, Russia cited NATO’s eastward expansion as one of the prime reasons behind its decision to invade Ukraine. Aside from its failed membership bid, NATO has also refused to grant Ukraine’s request for a no-fly zone.
During the ABC interview, Zelensky also indicated that he is open to dialogue regarding the status of the Russia-backed breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia declared as independent states prior to invading Ukraine. He recognised that there are people in those two regions who consider themselves to be citizens of Russia and to this end said he is interested in hearing their “opinion.” Zelensky added that he is willing to find a compromise regarding the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk, which he described as “temporarily occupied territories and pseudo-republics not recognized by anyone but Russia.”
EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy to @DavidMuir on new conditions from Kremlin: Putin needs to "start the dialogue, instead of living in informational bubble without oxygen...He is in this bubble." https://t.co/EPUvsRMUrD pic.twitter.com/XddUVMBTt2
— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2022
However, Zelensky underscored that this does not mean his government is surrendering to Russian demands, which he once again labelled as “ultimatums,” emphasising that he wants to “discuss with Russia the future of Crimea and Donbas.”
Zelensky’s remarks come in light of Russia making public its three key demands to end the Ukraine war. On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov Ukraine should make constitutional amendments that reject its accession to “any bloc” and cement its neutral status, a reference to its bids to join both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Additionally, he said Ukraine must recognise the separatist territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states and acknowledge Crimea, which Russian forces annexed in 2014, as indisputable Russian territory.
Zelenskyy to @DavidMuir on Putin: "I think he's capable of stopping the war that he started...he should know one important thing that he cannot deny, that stopping the war is what he's capable of." https://t.co/riV7CjHINW pic.twitter.com/H531BkGT4y
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 7, 2022
In response, Ukraine has proposed a “collective security agreement” that includes a commitment from the United States (US), France, Germany and Turkey, and provides guarantees not only to Ukraine but also to Russia. Zelensky further clarified that Ukraine cannot recognise Crimea as Russian territory but noted that this does not preclude the conduct of mutually beneficial dialogue.
Zelensky also criticised NATO and the US’ failure to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine during the interview, saying that such a decision could help Ukraine thwart Russian missile attacks on civilians living in universities and hospitals.
EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian Pres. Zelensky to @DavidMuir on concerns over no-fly zone: "I'm sure that the brave American soldiers who would be shooting it down knowing that it is flying towards the students—I'm sure that they had no doubt in doing so." https://t.co/nZGERJIxoS pic.twitter.com/0zqSy9jjzQ
— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2022
When asked about his message for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky urged Putin to end the war and called on the Russian leader to “start talking instead of living in the information bubble without oxygen.”
Regardless, Zelensky underlined that Ukrainians will continue to fight for their freedom and resist the Russian military onslaught, declaring, “We will endure, and even if they come into all our cities, there will be insurgency, insurgent war.”