Ukrainian Security Council Secretary calls NATO official's mention of territorial concessions "strange"
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, has described a remark made by a top NATO official, who mentioned the possibility of Ukraine giving up Russian-occupied territories in exchange for membership of the Alliance, as "strange".
Source: Danilov on the 24/7 newscast, cited by Radio Liberty
Quote: "No country since the Second World War has undergone such tests. Of course you can give [us] advice; today, another official made a statement about our lands. Quite a strange one, in my opinion. We must do our part, drive the enemy out of our territory. (I am referring to) the statement made by one of NATO's clerks who said that we should consider ceding our territories in exchange for NATO membership. Such a strange thing to say. It’s totally unclear why this was done."
Background:
- Earlier, several media outlets reported that Stian Jenssen, Director of the Private Office of NATO’s Secretary General, had speculated that Ukraine could become a member of NATO in the event of territorial concessions in favour of the Russian Federation. Jenssen said that discussions about Ukraine’s future status in the context of the Alliance after the war are ongoing, and they include options that would involve Kyiv ceding some territory.
- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the NATO summit in July that Ukraine would receive an invitation to join the Alliance when "all allies agree and conditions are met". He clarified that the conditions include two dimensions: the modernisation of Ukraine's defence institutions and the war, which is ongoing in the country.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later stated at a press conference that Ukraine would never trade any status for territory. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s partners are "well aware" of this position.
- Ukraine applied to join NATO under the fast-track procedure last September.
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