Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Sunday that Kyiv is ready to pause its push for NATO membership if the West can offer solid security guarantees that put an end to the fighting. This move could be a key concession to Moscow.
Speaking before an upcoming round of talks with U.S. envoys in Berlin, Zelensky said, “From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees.” He added that some U.S. and European partners had been reluctant to support that path.
Zelensky explained that Ukraine is willing to accept “Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion.”
A head‑lining image shows the president reflecting on the difficult position Ukraine faces as negotiations begin.
He also acknowledged that “And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said.
Still, Zelensky criticized the overall tone of the talks, saying that the current negotiations “are not about a fair deal — they’re about power.” “If these were truly fair negotiations, the focus would be on punishing Moscow for its war crimes,” he said during a WhatsApp press conference, according to translator Kateryna Lisunova.
The leader stressed that a cease‑fire will be a central component of the coming discussions. He has been cautious about publicly criticizing the talks, partly to avoid alienating former President Donald Trump, who is adamant about finding a way to end the brutal war.
Trump had recently taken a swipe at Zelensky, claiming the Ukrainian president had missed key details of a proposed peace plan and calling for fresh elections in Ukraine, despite the logistical and constitutional challenges such a move would entail.
Zelensky will meet U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner—Trump’s son‑in‑law—and other American and European officials in Berlin.
“The Berlin summit is important. We’re meeting with Americans and Europeans,” Zelensky said. “This alliance format matters to us, and believe me, we’ve done a lot to bring all these parties together. Unfortunately, this moment demands respect for strength, not values. If we were talking about honesty, values, and international law, Russia should have been condemned ten years ago for invading Ukraine’s sovereign territory. That didn’t happen — there were only words.”
In December, Ukrainians grew uneasy about a 28‑point U.S.‑led peace proposal that called for Ukraine to give up any NATO aspirations, cut its armed forces, and cede the entirety of the Donbas region—an area Russia has not fully captured. A later, 19‑point draft was more favorable to Kyiv, but Russia swiftly rejected it.
The core sticking point revolves around territorial concessions. Moscow wants to keep roughly 14 % of the Donbas that Kyiv still controls. Zelensky argues he cannot approve such a deal without a vote from his people, although he has signaled some openness to turning the disputed area into a demilitarized zone. Critics warn that if Russia seizes the remaining Donbas, it could more easily push further into Ukraine in the future.
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