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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyj in contact with JEF partners
Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / dpa
Ukraine is not a NATO member and will not be in the foreseeable future.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted this during a video conference.
“We've heard for years that the doors are open, but we've also heard we can't join.
This is the truth and we have to acknowledge it," Zelenskyi said before the heads of state and government of the member countries of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
The JEF is a Northern European military cooperation led by Great Britain. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had invited to a meeting about the Ukraine war in the morning.
"I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this, to count on themselves and on our partners who will help us," said Zelenskyy on the question of Ukraine's NATO membership.
But his country still needs reliable security guarantees, he said to the JEF members.
Russian soldiers marched into the neighboring country almost three weeks ago on the orders of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Russian units are shelling civilian installations and attempting to capture the country's major cities.
The Kremlin wants Ukraine to be given a so-called neutral status, i.e. that Ukraine renounces NATO membership.
However, working towards joining NATO and the EU is actually enshrined in the Ukrainian constitution.
"Toned down a while ago"
In an interview a week ago, however, Zelenskyy had already stated that he had "softened his position on this issue some time ago" because NATO was apparently not ready "to accept Ukraine".
However, Ukraine does not want to give in.
According to the Unian agency, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said there were "only two ways" to end the war: either Moscow would comply with Kiev's demand for a troop withdrawal in the ongoing negotiations.
Or Russia will continue to fight - and will ultimately be defeated by the Ukrainian army.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament extended martial law by a further 30 days until April 25.
It was first announced on February 24, a few hours after the Russian invasion.
mrc/dpa