This marks a significant change in Zelensky’s strategy. In an interview with Sky News, he stated, “If we want to halt the active phase of the conflict, we need to bring the Ukrainian territories under our control under the NATO umbrella.” Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine would seek peaceful diplomatic solutions to reclaim the regions currently occupied by Russian forces.
Zelensky’s shift coincides with the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January. Trump has promised to initiate discussions for a peace treaty immediately to end the ongoing conflict. Reports suggest that his team is contemplating maintaining the current front lines, postponing Ukraine’s NATO accession for twenty years, and providing military support to Ukraine to defend against potential Russian hostilities, as reported by The Telegraph.
According to proposals attributed to Trump’s advisers, a peace agreement would entail solidifying the existing front line and Ukraine agreeing to defer its NATO aspirations for two decades. Should this plan be accepted, the United States would increase military aid to Ukraine to deter any future aggression from Russia.
Mr Zelensky hinted in his interview that the “Nato umbrella” would not be full membership of Nato, something Putin has rejected as part of any peace deal.
Rather, it could mean Nato member states, including Britain, the US, France and Germany, providing individual security guarantees to Ukraine.
Asked in the interview whether Kyiv would be willing to give up territory to Moscow altogether in exchange for full Nato membership, he said: “No one has offered us to be in Nato with just one part or another part of Ukraine.”
Zelensky appeared to support this proposal.
“Here, we must not make any mistake. But if we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do fast. Then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically. This proposal has never been considered by Ukraine because no one has ever offered that to us officially. We can’t, by law, recognize our territory, Ukrainian territory, on the occupation of Russia as Russian. That is impossible. That is against the Constitution of Ukraine. I understand completely your position.”
Zelensky stressed his country’s need for continued aid from NATO. “We need [NATO protection] very much, otherwise, [Russian President Vladimir Putin] will come back. Otherwise, how are we going to go to a ceasefire? So, for us, it’s very dangerous,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he’s willing to temporarily cede Russian-occupied lands to Moscow in exchange for NATO support.
“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under NATO umbrella the the territory of Ukraine that we have under our… pic.twitter.com/xojOJcYNqM
— Jeff Charles, Doni’s St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) November 30, 2024
The Ukrainian president recently met with Trump to discuss potential resolutions to the conflict. During a joint press conference, he said, “We need just peace for the people, especially for the families who…lost their children—it’s a big tragedy.”
Trump concurred, acknowledging that Zelensky “wants it to end as quickly as possible…We both want to see a fair deal made.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden recently approved Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles in its war against Russia, a move that was met with criticism from people on both sides of the political divide.
Zelensky’s policy shift could mark a possible turning point in the war, which has been raging for almost two years. With Trump in office, there could be a potential pathway to peace that might work for all parties involved. However, questions remain about whether Russia and NATO allies would be willing to agree to these proposals. Nevertheless, there might be reason for optimism about an end to this military conflict, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
