Zelenskyy on Trump's NATO remarks: Don't rush to draw conclusions

It is premature to draw quick conclusions about U.S. policy following statements by President-elect Donald Trump regarding Ukraine's NATO membership, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, Ukrinform reported.

"Remember when Ukraine was told that Patriot systems could only be deployed in NATO countries? Either we've long been in NATO, or we shouldn't rush to conclusions. The same was true for Patriot systems, missile systems, and other NATO-standard weapons," Zelenskyy said.

According to the president, one of the reasons for Russia's full-scale invasion was Ukraine's non-membership in NATO and the lack of strong security guarantees.

Zelenskyy noted that the United States and Europe lacked unified support for Ukraine's NATO membership. He also recalled that Germany, the United States, Hungary, and Slovakia had publicly opposed it.

As a result, the Russian dictator concluded that "no one would stand up for Ukraine."

"He thought his army was bigger and that he could destroy us. But the Ukrainian army is made up of strong people. Our nation has impressed the entire world," Zelenskyy said.

He stressed that Ukraine now has the right to demand strong security guarantees from its allies. Zelenskyy said he has discussed this with both sitting U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Until Ukraine receives these guarantees, he argued, it is unrealistic to expect Ukrainians to start returning home from abroad.

"I think every Ukrainian who wants to return must have security guarantees for their family. (...) We want concrete security guarantees, and we are asking for this from the alliance of America and Europe. I will discuss this with the President of the United States. Don't rush to draw conclusions," Zelenskyy added.