Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday (12/18) that the United States’ opposition to the country’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) may not be final and will depend on the political scenario in Washington.
According to Zelensky, the current US policy towards NATO is clearly to reject Ukraine’s membership, but it is not necessarily permanent.
“The US policy is consistent regarding Ukraine’s membership in NATO. They don’t see us there… Perhaps this position will change in the future,” the Ukrainian said. “It’s a political question. The world changes, some live, others die. That’s life,” he added.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
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The speech comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for Zelensky to formally renounce his ambition to join the military bloc in negotiations to end the war with Russia. The North American demand is seen as one of the main obstacles to the negotiations, with the Alliance seen by kyiv as a central pillar of its security strategy.
In recent days, the Ukrainian leader has been increasingly skeptical about the NATO issue. Zelensky admitted on Sunday (14/12) that he had renounced Ukraine’s entry into the Organization in exchange for security guarantees offered by Western allies.
Zelensky against Trump
Despite American pressure, Zelensky resisted accepting the conditions defended by the White House. The Ukrainian has sought the support of its Western European allies to formulate a counter-peace proposal, which includes clauses considered unacceptable by Moscow, making it difficult to advance negotiations.
Meanwhile, European NATO countries continue to debate their own initiatives to expand military support for Ukraine, including the possibility of sending troops, even in the face of Russian opposition. Moscow accuses European governments of sabotaging peace efforts by imposing conditions that make a deal unfeasible.
The Kremlin, in turn, criticizes what it calls “megaphone diplomacy” and avoids publicly detailing its position. However, this Wednesday (17/12), Russian President Vladimir Putin made harsh statements towards European leaders.
“European pigs immediately joined the efforts of the previous US administration seeking to profit from the collapse of our country, to reclaim what had been lost in previous historical periods and to take revenge,” he said. “The objectives of the special military operation will be achieved,” he added.
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