Zelensky: Ukraine's NATO membership will ensure the end of the "hot phase" of the war

In order to end the "hot phase of the war," NATO membership will have to be offered to the unoccupied parts of the country, as long as the NATO invitation itself recognizes Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky suggested a ceasefire agreement could be reached if Ukrainian territory under his control was taken "under the NATO umbrella" - which would allow him to negotiate the return of the rest later "through diplomatic channels," during an interview with Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsey.
He appears to accept that the occupied eastern parts of the country will fall outside the scope of such an agreement for the time being.
"We have to do it quickly. Then, regarding the (occupied) territories of Ukraine, we can get them back diplomatically," the Ukrainian president explained.
Zelensky said the ceasefire was necessary to "ensure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not come back" to seize more Ukrainian territory.
"NATO must immediately cover the part of Ukraine that remains under Kiev's control. This is something he believes Ukraine needs very badly, otherwise he will come back," he said.
On Donald Trump's re-election as US president, Zelensky said the following:
"I want to work directly with him because there are different voices from the people around him. And that's why we shouldn't let anybody around destroy our communication," he said.
"It's not going to be helpful and it's going to be disruptive. We have to try to find the new model. I want to share ideas with him and I want to hear his views on the situation," the Ukrainian head of state continued.
Zelensky said the two had spoken in September when he was in New York, adding:
"We had a conversation. It was very warm, good, constructive... It was a very good meeting and it was an important first step - now we have to prepare several meetings."
The interview is the first time Zelensky has hinted at a ceasefire agreement that would include Russian control of Ukrainian territory.
Throughout the conflict, Zelensky has never said he would cede occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia - including Crimea, which Russia occupied in February 2014 and formally annexed the following month.
He stressed that such a step is not allowed by the Ukrainian constitution and the only way it would be possible is if the people in those areas agreed to secede.
But he assured that to hold such a vote, Kiev would have to return the territories to its control.
About a fifth of Ukrainian territory remains under Russian control.
In September 2022. Russia unilaterally announced the annexation of areas in and around the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya after referendums that were not internationally recognized.
Zelensky's long-standing position has been that the territory remains Ukrainian, that Russia's occupation of the lands is illegal, and that Kiev will not cede any of its territories to reach a peace agreement.
Earlier this year, he presented a "victory plan" to the Ukrainian parliament that included refusing to cede Ukrainian territory and sovereignty.
Moscow, however, has indicated that it will not give up any of the land its forces occupy as part of any peace agreement, and has said that the ceding of territory by the
Kiev is a prerequisite to get to the negotiating table.
Despite its dogged defence of Ukrainian territory and attempted counter-attacks since the war began more than 1,000 days ago, Kiev's forces have been on the back foot in recent months, with Russia slowly making gains in the east of the country. | BGNES