Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that the “hot war” with Russia could end if Kyiv is guaranteed protection under a “NATO umbrella” while the country seeks to regain territories currently controlled by Moscow “diplomatically”.
In one of his first major interviews with Western media following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election earlier this month, President Zelensky appeared willing to make concessions to end the conflict nearly three years after the Russian invasion.
Although he did not make any firm commitments, Zelensky suggested that the “hot” stage of the conflict between his country and Russia could be brought to an end if the American-led NATO alliance committed to protecting the part of the country currently under Kyiv’s control under a military “umbrella.”
“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 Sky News.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way.”
Zelesnsky, who continued in the interview to advocate Ukraine joining the NATO alliance, admitted that under such a ceasefire framework, it would not be possible for Ukraine to accept membership as it would mean officially ceding the territory under Russian control to Moscow, which is illegal under Ukraine’s constitution.
The British broadcaster noted that it was the “first time” that Zelensky publicly hinted that he was willing to cede territory to Russia for a ceasefire deal, albeit unofficially.
Earlier this year, Zelensky proposed a “victory plan” for pushing Russia back from its 1991 borders, which would have included territory in Crimea seized by Moscow during the Obama administration. However, as the war has surpassed 1,000 days, there is growing acknowledgement that Ukrainian forces are incapable of taking back the land by force.
The Ukrainian leader’s apparent willingness to end military attempts to regain lost territory and to forgo seeking NATO membership at least temporarily may be a potential framework for an agreement with Vladimir Putin, who has long said that NATO membership for Ukraine would represent a “red line” for the Kremlin.
While favoured globalist figures, membership in the Western military alliance has also drawn pushback from key European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who expressed concern over admitting a nation in conflict over its borders.
Despite NATO allies such as France, Poland, and the UK reportedly considering increasing funding to Ukraine if incoming U.S. President Donald Trump pulls American military aid, Zelensky’s comments perhaps indicate a realisation in Kyiv that it cannot rely on the unstable and unpopular governments in Western Europe and, therefore, must work with Trump to achieve his election promise to end the conflict.
Asked by Sky News if he had spoken with the president-elect, Zelensky said: “We had a conversation. It was very warm, good, constructive… It was a very good meeting and it was an important first step… now we have to prepare some meetings.”
“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 continued.
“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.”
