President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed that Ukraine will not renounce its aspirations to join NATO, emphasizing that the decision ultimately rests with the Alliance’s member states, not any agreement with Russia.
Zelenskyy made the remarks during a press briefing on Tuesday, addressing a provision in an earlier 28-point peace plan that suggested Ukraine should abandon its NATO ambitions. “This is an agreement between the parties – the United States, Ukraine, Europe and Russia. In our view, it is the choice of NATO members whether to have Ukraine or not. And our choice has already been made,” he said.
The president stressed that Ukraine will not accept demands to give up its NATO goals and has presented arguments to support its position. He added that discussions between NATO and Russia may touch on Ukraine’s membership, but such negotiations do not determine Ukraine’s stance. “That is an agreement between someone and someone else, not us. And I believe this is very important for Ukraine’s future,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy has previously highlighted that while the United States plays a role in the NATO process, security guarantees remain the central issue in the peace process rather than the wording related to NATO membership.
