[ad_1]
Offer from NATO membership in the territory controlled by Kiev would end the “hot phase war” in Ukrainebut any proposal to join military the alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi he said in a broadcast interview.
Zelenskiy’s remarks on Friday hinted at a possible path forward on a difficult path Ukraine face future membership in NATO.
At a summit in Washington in July, 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership.
READ MORE: Rebels entered Syria’s largest city for the first time since 2016
However, one obstacle to progress has been the view that Ukraine’s borders should be clearly demarcated before it can join, so there can be no mistake about where the alliance’s mutual defense pact will come into force.
“You can’t give an invitation to just one part of the country,” the Ukrainian president said in an excerpt of an interview with Sky News, which was dubbed by British television.
“Why? Because that way you would admit that Ukraine is only that territory of Ukraine, and the other is Russia.”
According to the Ukrainian constitution, Ukraine cannot recognize the territory occupied by Russia as Russian.
“So legally, by law, we have no right to recognize the occupied territory as Russian territory,” he said.
Since the war began in 2022, Russia has expended massive amounts of weapons and human lives to make small but steady territorial gains in the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls in eastern and southern Ukraine.
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we should take under the umbrella of NATO the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. This is what we have to do, quickly. And then Ukraine can return the other part of its territory diplomatically,” he said.
The call for Ukraine to join NATO is one of the key points of Zelensky’s “victory plan”, which he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its role in any negotiations with Moscow.
Earlier this week, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion.
Military aid to Kiev and steps towards ending the war are expected to be high on the agenda when the foreign ministers of NATO members meet in Brussels for a two-day meeting starting on December 3.
However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require a longer process and the agreement of all member states.
There is also uncertainty surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy stance. Although Trump promised during the election campaign to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine in one day, he has not spoken publicly about how that might happen.
Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, an 80-year-old, highly decorated retired three-star general, would be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Kellog wrote in April that “ending the Russia-Ukraine war will require strong, America First leadership to achieve a peace agreement and immediately end hostilities between the two warring parties.”
Meanwhile, during his only pre-election debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer the question of whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war – raising concerns that Kiev could be forced to accept unfavorable terms in any negotiations.
Zelensky’s statement comes at a time when Ukraine is facing increasing pressure along the 1,000-kilometer front line. In its latest report, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said on Saturday that Russian forces had recently advanced near Kupiansk, Toretsk, and near Pokrovsk and Velika Novosilka, key logistics routes for the Ukrainian military.
The Air Force of Ukraine announced on Saturday that the country had been attacked by ten Russian drones, eight of which were shot down over the regions of Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson. One drone returned to Russian-occupied territory, while the last drone disappeared from radar, often a sign of the use of electronic defenses.
Putin makes a surprise trip to Chechnya amid invasion of Ukraine
Look at the gallery
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the country’s air defense system shot down 11 Ukrainian drones. Both the mayor of Sochi, Andrei Proshunin, and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region, Sergei Melikov, both in southwestern Russia, said drones were destroyed in their regions overnight. There are no reports of casualties.
On Friday, Ukraine’s president announced a series of changes to the military leadership, saying changes in personnel management were needed to improve the situation on the battlefield.
General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who led the defense of Kharkiv this year during a new Russian offensive on Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been named the new head of Ukraine’s ground forces. Oleh Apostol was appointed the new Deputy Commander-in-Chief responsible for improving military training.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also announced on Friday that he would reinforce units in Donetsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo with additional reserves, ammunition, weapons and military equipment.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Follow the latest news, sports, politics and weather with our news app and receive notifications straight to your smartphone. Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.
[ad_2]