Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted this Thursday on the need for his allies to formally invite Ukraine. join NATOso that your income materializes when the war ends. Zelensky said he spoke about it with U.S. President Joe Biden last September, as well as with Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala, Harris, and former president and candidate Republican, Donald Trump. .
“This is a sensitive issue in the United States. They have always considered that NATO could drag the United States into war and there are certain red lines when inviting Ukraine to NATObut from my point of view, this is not the case,” the Ukrainian president said at a conference at the European Council, where he presented to European leaders his victory plan, which includes a request for membership in the Atlantic Alliance.
In the main press room of this European institution, Zenelski assured that “inviting Ukraine to NATO This does not mean crossing red lines. ». “Crossing a red line with whom, with a murderer?” he asked rhetorically, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “In what way?” When the war will end we don’t knowbut the sooner we have more strength, the sooner peace will come,” he said.
Ukrainian leader says Trump told him “These are good arguments”although he avoided confirming whether this meant that the former US president, highly critical of NATO and the war in Ukraine, would accept membership in the Alliance if he won the elections. “I don’t want to go any further in my dialogue with Donald Trump because it was between me and Donald Trump. That’s exactly what I said. We talked of NATO and he agreed with my arguments”» Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president will go this afternoon to NATO headquarters in Brussels, where the defense ministers of the Atlantic Alliance are meeting today, to explain his project to them. Zelensky had previously asked the EU “unity” around their “Victory Plan”, to be able to convince “other leaders”, in veiled reference to the United States. “Only with unity within the EU can we move forward and bring other leaders forward,” he said.
In addition to joining NATO, Zelensky wants his allies authorize the use of long-range missiles to attack Russian territory and deploy non-nuclear strategic weapons in Ukraine to deter Russia: “Our plan is for Ukraine to be strong and prepared for diplomacy and it is great that this plan does not depend on the willingness of Russia, but only at the will of our partners. And I think that. give this plan a chance to be real“, continued the Ukrainian president.
In this sense, he said that Kyiv continues prepare for the second peace conferenceafter the one organized last June in Switzerland. In the summit’s conclusions, European leaders reiterated their support for “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and consistent with the fundamental principles and objectives of the Ukrainian peace plan.”
They also stressed the “importance” for the G7 to maintain its commitment to give Kyiv a loan of 50 billion euros, of which the EU is ready to give up to 35 billion, a figure which could be reduced if the United States also contributes.
Washington could contribute up to $20 billioneven if he prefers that EU extends freeze on Russian assets -from the profits from which the loan would come – for periods of three years and not six months, as is the case until now, due to Hungary’s opposition to the extension of the duration
