Zelenskyy: Ukraine can become a NATO member only when it wins

Zelenskyy: Ukraine can become a NATO member only when it wins

First of all, membership in the Alliance is a political decision.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will become a NATO member only after victory in the war and its completion. He said this during a joint visit with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the National Defence University of Ukraine in Kyiv.

“In my personal opinion, we will only be in NATO when we win. I don’t think that during the war we will be accepted into NATO,” he said during a meeting with students of the institution who are undergoing professional military training courses according to NATO standards.

According to him, for some countries, Ukraine’s entry into the alliance is a risk; some interpret it with skepticism. At the same time, this is by no means a question about the level of Ukraine, which is going through a full-scale war, or compatibility with the standards of the bloc.

“The issue of NATO is a matter for the majority. And most of this is a political issue. And for Ukraine to be politically accepted into the Alliance, this requires victory,” the president noted.

At the same time, Zelenskyy said that one of the reasons for the war is the fact that Ukraine had not previously become a member of the bloc.

“Russia worked with our current partners many years ago. She did everything to prevent Ukraine from being accepted not only into NATO, but also into the European Union, so that Ukraine would not be cut off from the influence of the Russian Federation. Therefore, in order to break away from this influence, you need to protect your independence with the result of victory,” he added.