In an interview with Sky News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested he’s willing to cede territory to Russia if it means ending the war for the first time.
Zelensky said Ukraine could give up land temporarily in exchange for a “NATO umbrella” on the territory it controls.
According to Sky News, Zelensky said NATO membership would have to be offered to unoccupied parts of the country to end the “hot phase of the war.”
BREAKING: Zelensky says he is willing to end the war by ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia in pursuit of peace.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) November 29, 2024
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” he told the outlet.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way,” he added.
NEW – Ukraine's Zelensky said he is willing to cede territory to Russia to end the war for the first time.https://t.co/pcFRxIIqV7
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) November 29, 2024
Per Sky News:
Mr Zelenskyy said a ceasefire was needed to “guarantee that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will not come back” to take more Ukrainian territory.
He said NATO should “immediately” cover the part of Ukraine that remains under Kyiv’s control, something he said Ukraine needs “very much otherwise he will come back”.
In his first interview with British media since Mr Trump’s election win, Mr Zelenskyy was asked what he thought of the president-elect and said “we have to work with the new president” in order to “have the biggest supporter”.
“I want to work with him directly because there are different voices from people around him. And that’s why we need not to [allow] anybody around to destroy our communication,” he said.
“It will be not helpful and will be destructive. We have to try to find the new model. I want to share with him ideas and I want to hear from him.”
🚨 BREAKING: Vlodymr Zelensky said he is willing to cede territory to Russia to end the war for the first time
The Ukrainian president said his country could give up land temporarily in exchange for a ‘Nato umbrella’ over the territory Ukraine still holds pic.twitter.com/SxOyF6JbXo
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 29, 2024
WATCH:
Zelensky now claims he is willing to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine and is willing to cede territory to Russia, in exchange for NATO membership.
This is a desperate attempt from Zelensky to bring NATO into direct war with Russia before Trump takes over.
This is a red line for… pic.twitter.com/BVwPjBLLOS
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) November 29, 2024
From the New York Post:
Zelensky’s comments are a stark departure from his previous stance — he vowed to continue fighting until Ukraine was returned to its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea.
In 2022, Putin annexed four regions in Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia — calling them “our citizens forever” in a move that was denounced by Western leaders.
Zelensky hinted that the “NATO umbrella” would not be full membership — something Putin has long vehemently rejected — but could mean member states providing individual security guarantees to Ukraine.
Zelensky wouldn’t say whether he’d be willing to give up more territory in exchange for full NATO membership.
“No one has offered us to be in NATO with just one part or another part of Ukraine,” he said. He added, “[it] could be possible, but no one offered.”
WATCH:
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