President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is aware of the US blocking Ukraine's path to NATO but does not consider it necessary to change the constitutional course towards joining the Alliance.

Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy pointed out that US scepticism about Ukraine's NATO membership emerged under the previous US administration. He said that he had directly asked former US president Joe Biden whether Ukraine could join NATO.

"This was before the [full-scale] war. President Biden told me: 'No, you will not be in NATO'. I kept bringing up this question every time, and at some point it made some people in the White House smile," Zelenskyy said.

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From his remarks, it also followed that no substantive arguments against Ukraine's NATO membership had been presented to him.

"I do not understand when they tell me that, in principle, they are not against it, but you will not be in NATO. Because that means someone is against it. And we should speak openly about who is against it," he said. Ukraine has previously repeatedly stated that the real source of the veto on its NATO aspirations is Russia, whose requests are being accommodated by some NATO member states. In Brussels, Zelenskyy did not elaborate on this point.

He also recalled that Ukraine's goal of joining NATO is enshrined in the Constitution.

"Frankly, I do not believe that we need to change our state's Constitution [on this issue]," the president said.

"Let the Ukrainian people decide what to do with our Constitution, not someone else. And certainly not as a result of calls from the Russian Federation or anyone else. This is our Constitution and our course," Zelenskyy noted, expressing confidence that NATO membership remains the best possible option for Ukraine's security guarantees.

Zelenskyy added he hopes that US policy regarding Ukraine's NATO membership could change over time.

Background:

• It was previously reported that talks with the United States have not determined whether Ukraine's security guarantees would be time-limited.
• Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that in the "peace process" the key issue is security guarantees rather than wording on NATO.

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