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War in Ukraine: Zelensky says he "tempered" his request for NATO membership

2022-03-08T22:51:28.815Z


In an interview with ABC, the Ukrainian president said he was ready for a "compromise" on the status of the separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, whose independence Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally recognized just before launching his war at the end of February.


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he no longer wants to insist on Ukraine joining NATO, one of the issues that officially motivated the Russian invasion of his country, in an interview broadcast by the American channel ABC.

Another apparent openness towards Moscow, he says he is ready for a "

compromise

" on the status of the separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, whose independence Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally recognized just before launching his war. February.

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ready

" to make its Mig-29 fighter planes available

"

As regards NATO, I tempered my position on this issue some time ago, when we understood

" that "

NATO was not ready to accept Ukraine

", a- he said in this interview broadcast on Monday evening.

The Alliance is afraid of anything controversial, and of a confrontation with Russia

,” he lamented.

He added that he does not want to be the president of a “

country that begs on its knees

” for such a membership.

"Security guarantees"

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and is waging war in this former Soviet republic.

Moscow says it wants a guarantee that Kiev will never enter NATO, a transatlantic alliance created to protect Europe from the threat of the USSR at the start of the Cold War and which then gradually expanded to the gates. of Russia.

The Kremlin considers these enlargements to be threatening, as well as the military posture of the Western Allies near the Russian borders.

President Putin also recognized shortly before starting his invasion two

pro-Russian separatist "

republics " in eastern Ukraine at war since 2014 with the forces of Kiev.

He is now demanding that their independence also be recognized by Ukraine.

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Asked about this Russian requirement, President Zelensky said he was open to dialogue on ABC.

I am talking about security guarantees.

I think that with regard to these temporarily occupied territories

”, “

which have only been recognized by Russia

”, “

we can discuss and find a compromise on the future of these territories

”, he explained.

"

What is important to me is how the people who are in these territories and who want to be part of Ukraine are going to live

", he continued, considering that the question was "

more complex than simply the recognize

”.

"

That is another ultimatum and we reject ultimatums.

What is needed is for President Putin to start talking, to start a dialogue, instead of living in a bubble

,” he said.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-03-08

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