Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek Nato membership in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.
“It’s a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to Nato, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn’t want further Nato expansion,” Mr Zelensky said late on Monday in an interview with Ukrainian television channels. He also repeated his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Unless he meets with Mr Putin, it is impossible to understand whether Russia even wants to stop the war, Mr Zelensky said. Mr Zelensky said that Kyiv will be ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region held by Russian-backed separatists after a cease-fire and steps toward providing security guarantees.
