“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire has been to join NATO, as this represents real security guarantees. However, some partners in the United States and Europe do not support this path,” President Zelensky said in an online interview published today.
According to Zelensky, security guarantees from the United States, Europe, and other partners could serve as an alternative to NATO membership.
“Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, similar to NATO’s Article 5, along with commitments from European allies and other countries such as Canada or Japan, would create an opportunity to prevent future Russian military campaigns. This is a concession on our part,” he stated.
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President Zelensky emphasized that these guarantees must be legally binding, with commitments from Washington requiring approval by the U.S. Congress.
This marks a significant shift in Ukraine’s position and also fulfills one of Russia’s key objectives when it launched its special military operation. The remarks were made ahead of President Zelensky’s visit to Germany to meet with a U.S. special envoy and European leaders, as part of efforts to finalize a peace plan promoted by President Donald Trump. Zelensky said Kyiv has not yet received a response from Washington regarding its latest proposals but remains open to dialogue. The parties are reviewing a 20-point plan, with a ceasefire as the ultimate goal. He stressed that Ukraine has not engaged in direct talks with Russia, and that all signals and demands from Moscow are conveyed through Washington.
Regarding a ceasefire, President Zelensky said a fair option would be to maintain the current front lines and resolve remaining issues through diplomacy. He opposed the idea of establishing a demilitarized zone if it were applied only to areas under Ukrainian control, questioning who would manage such a zone and why troop withdrawals would not be implemented equally by both sides.
He also mentioned the possibility of holding a presidential election, stating that Ukraine must be prepared for all scenarios, and called on its partners to provide security arrangements should elections take place.
Ukraine enshrined its goal of joining NATO in its constitution in 2019, despite warnings from Russia that the potential deployment of alliance forces and weapons near its borders would pose an unacceptable security threat. Russia later cited this as one of the reasons for launching its special military operation in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government formally applied for NATO membership in September 2022, more than six months after the outbreak of hostilities. At the NATO summit in Washington in late 2024, member states issued a joint declaration stating that Ukraine’s path to membership was “irreversible,” though no formal invitation was extended to Kyiv.
President Trump has repeatedly rejected the possibility of Ukraine joining the military alliance.