Ukraine is renouncing its ambition to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of talks with American envoys in Berlin, writes HRT.
The move marks a major change for Ukraine, which fought to join NATO as a defense against Russian attacks. This aspiration is included in the constitution of Ukraine. This also fulfills one of Russia's war goals, and Kiev has so far stood firm against ceding territory to Moscow.
Zelensky said on Sunday that security guarantees from the US, Europe and other partners instead of NATO membership were a compromise on the Ukrainian side.
"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction," he said, answering questions from journalists in a WhatsApp group.
"Today, therefore, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the United States, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries such as Canada and Japan - are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion," Zelensky said.
- And that is already a compromise on our part, said the Ukrainian president, adding that security guarantees should be legally binding.
Zelensky earlier called for a "dignified peace" and assurances that Russia would not attack Ukraine again as he prepared to meet with US envoys and European allies in Berlin to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Under pressure from the American president Donald Trump to sign a peace accord that initially supported Moscow's demands, Zelensky accused Russia of prolonging the war by deadly bombings of cities and Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Although the exact composition of participants in the meetings on Sunday and Monday was not disclosed, a US official said that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff i put Jared Kushner they travel to Germany for talks with Ukrainians and Europeans.
The decision to send Witkoff, who led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia on the US peace proposal, was seen as a signal that Washington saw an opportunity for progress nearly four years after the Russian invasion began.
Zelensky said that Ukraine, the Europeans and the US are considering a 20-point plan and that a ceasefire will be agreed upon at the end of it. He added that Kiev is not in direct talks with Russia.
Zelensky said a ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair option. Russia has asked Kiev to withdraw its forces from the parts of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions still held by Ukraine.
"Ukraine needs peace under dignified conditions and we are ready to work as constructively as possible. The coming days will be filled with diplomacy. It is extremely important that it brings results," Zelensky wrote earlier on Xu.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday hosts the Ukrainian president and European leaders for a summit in the German capital, the latest in a series of public expressions of support from allies across Europe for the Ukrainian leader.
"Critical moment"
Britain, France and Germany are working to refine the US proposal, which, according to a draft released in November, called on Kiev to cede more territory, abandon its ambitions to join NATO and accept limits on the size of its armed forces.
European allies have described this as a "critical moment" that could shape Ukraine's future and have sought to bolster Kiev's finances by tapping frozen Russian Central Bank assets to finance Kiev's military and civilian budgets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner for a meeting earlier in December. The Kremlin said the meeting was "constructive," although no major progress was made.
Zelensky said hundreds of thousands of people were still without electricity after Russian attacks on energy, heating and water supplies across Ukraine, posting photos of burned and destroyed buildings.
- Russia is prolonging the war and trying to cause as much damage as possible to our people, said Zelenski.
"The Russians have launched more than 1500 attack drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types into Ukraine this week," he added.
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Source: HRT
Photo: EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT HANDOUT
