Ukraine needs security guarantees to resume talks with Russia

Ukraine is not conducting any backstage negotiations with Russia. This is not in our interests, because losing the trust of our partners is a big risk for us. It is important for me to preserve the alliance with our partners.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

The president emphasized that the war could be ended diplomatically, as this would reduce the number of casualties and shorten the duration of the conflict.

The main thing is to stop this hellish story. This requires desire. Even if one partner, such as the Russian Federation, does not want it, the partners can unite and force the occupiers to dialogue. We are talking about dialogue, but so far it is not happening.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that before the start of diplomatic processes, Ukraine must receive security guarantees that will become a deterrent for Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin.

Simply stopping the fire and allowing the Russians to prepare for a new occupation is unacceptable. This has already happened between 2014 and 2022. Therefore, it is important to understand what security guarantees Ukraine will have: where is our NATO, where is our weapons, where is our support.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that without NATO and external support, Ukraine will be left alone with the threat.

"If we are not in NATO, and diplomacy begins, where will we get the funds to support a million-strong army? If there is no alliance, no support, no air defense or common fleet, we must rely only on ourselves," Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.

Ukraine will not make concessions on NATO accession

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy once again reiterated that Kyiv's position on the desire to join NATO is firm, the course for joining NATO has long been enshrined in the Constitution.

In addition, one cannot ignore the fact that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian society supports Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.

"The only effective guarantee for Ukraine is NATO membership. Moreover, Ukraine's membership is a guarantee of NATO's own security. In addition, Ukraine's full membership is, excuse my cynicism, also the cheapest option for NATO to ensure European security," said Sibiga.