Zelensky would agree to give up the territories occupied by Russia if the rest of Ukraine joins NATO

Follow the latest news on the war in Ukraine live

MADRID Jan. 5 () –

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his willingness to reach an agreement with Russia and renounce the territories controlled by Moscow in exchange for the rest of the country being admitted to NATO and receiving security guarantees.

The Ukrainian president made these statements in an interview with the American interviewer of Ukrainian origin Lex Fridman in which he asked him if NATO would accept the integration of Ukraine minus Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea.

“NATO’s invitation would be for Ukraine (…), but NATO can operate in the part that is controlled by Ukraine. Can we agree on this? I’m sure so. Yes. It’s not a great success for us, but if there is a diplomatic way to end the war, that is the first thing,” he declared.

Zelensky has clarified that this option would only be possible if there is an “armament package” planned. “I cannot say publicly with what, but it is no secret to (American, Donald) Trump. It depends mainly on the will of the United States. The EU would give us one part and the United States the other. There needs to be unity to this package,” he indicated.

He has also defended the need to impose new sanctions on Russia when Trump arrives at the White House to prevent Russia from selling its hydrocarbons, something that would also benefit Washington.

In any case, the Ukrainian president believes that the first step is to meet with Trump. “We have to agree with him on how to stop the war and (Vladimir) Putin. It is very important for us that Europe, of which we are a part, also has its voice,” he stated.

Furthermore, the meeting with Trump would be to specify security guarantees for Ukraine. “The three of us are not going to sit directly” at the negotiating table, he argued.