Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, revealed the conditions under which Kyiv will discuss the issues of renunciation of NATO membership, according to him, security guarantees are needed.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with the American television channel ABC, said that he had cooled off on the issue of joining NATO, as he realized that the alliance was not ready to accept Ukraine because of fears of a confrontation with Russia. Also, answering a question about the possibility of recognizing Crimea and the republics of Donbass, Zelensky said that it was possible to discuss this issue and find a compromise regarding the further residence of people in these territories.
“We are ready for constructive negotiations on key points. The main thing is, of course, security. The cessation of hostilities… As for political issues, President Zelensky is not afraid to talk with the Russian side about any political issues. But it is natural that we defend our national statehood, our national rights. And we must receive a clear and specific, legally binding set of guarantees of our security in a situation where NATO openly says that there will be no admission of Ukraine. It is pointless to talk about the details now. Now the main thing is to physically protect Ukraine”, Ukrainian Podolyak quotes publication “Strana.ua” in his Telegram channel.
He also stated that Kyiv “does not perceive any Russian ultimatums as such.”
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal “the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine”, to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for “bloody crimes against civilians” in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces only strike at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, military groups of the DPR and LPR are developing an offensive. But there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, the President of Russia stressed.