Zelenskyy rejects neutrality talks, admits Ukraine not joining NATO

President Zelenskyy said he is not ready to discuss Ukraine's neutrality, but acknowledged that due to the United States' stance, Ukraine is not currently being considered for NATO membership. He made these remarks during a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

A reporter recalled that in March 2022 the head of state expressed readiness to discuss Ukraine's neutrality and asked if he still remains open to the idea.

"I never said that I was ready to discuss Ukraine's neutrality. It was never presented that way. It was the Russians who raised this issue when they issued us an ultimatum," Zelenskyy responded.

It is worth noting that in the spring of 2022 the president intended to bring the issue of neutrality and other potential compromises with Russia to a nationwide referendum, but negotiations with the invaders were halted after Russian atrocities in Bucha and other liberated cities came to light.

The president reminded that during the first ultimatum the Russians demanded Ukraine reduce its armed forces to between 50,000 and 80,000 troops. "Imagine the difference: the army that is now holding back 800,000 Russians—imagine what they were asking for," he said.

He also explained that the occupiers demanded Ukraine adopt a neutral status, sought Kyiv's recognition of the occupied territories as Russian, and had other demands.

"We always said that we don't really understand what we're discussing. This is an ultimatum, not a proposal to end the war," the Ukrainian leader said.

At the same time, he admitted that if neutrality is discussed in the context of NATO membership, Ukraine is not being taken into the Alliance. Zelenskyy also pointed out that joining NATO would resolve many issues.

Instead of military and financial aid or the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine, he argued, the simplest solution would be to let the country join the alliance: "Or just NATO... That would be simpler, less costly, and so on."

However, he added that there is "nothing to talk about" on this issue, since the United States, as the main NATO ally, does not support Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.

"As of now, that's the case. I believe you can't just hand this over to the Russians. I consider it a big gift that this topic is being removed from negotiations. I simply believe it's wrong," he said.