Western officials afraid to talk openly about exchanging territories for NATO membership – Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Western officials who have discussed the idea that Ukraine should make territorial concessions in exchange for NATO membership have not spoken to him about this because they are afraid.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that Western officials who are proposing a deal under which Kyiv would "exchange" Russian-occupied territories for NATO membership have not consulted him. 

Quote: "People never said this [to us]. People are afraid to tell [me]."

Details: Zelenskyy called on these officials to put this proposal openly "on the table" for Ukrainians. "Not through some third party. Speak with us," he said. 

Zelenskyy said he was open to peace proposals from other countries if they were "real" and not trying to undermine support for Ukraine.

He also stated that a formal invitation to join NATO is the "only way" for Ukraine to survive the Russian invasion and force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

Quote: "We cannot be very strong without having an invitation [which] strengthens our diplomatic ways to end the war."

More details: He compared the debate on the NATO invitation to previous discussions on providing Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems or F-16 fighter jets when Western nations initially refused but slowly changed their minds and agreed. 

Quote: "The reaction to the Victory Plan is exactly the same as to Patriots, F-16s . . . But we have to do it. This is the only way we can survive."

Background:

• The White House commented on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Victory Plan, saying that NATO does not have a consensus on Ukraine's accession to the Alliance. 
• Earlier, the Financial Times published an article stating that Ukrainian officials had supposedly become more open to discussing a potential ceasefire agreement with their Western counterparts.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine denied the information provided by the Financial Times.

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