Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced his readiness to end the "hot phase" of the conflict with Russia in exchange for Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to put the territory of Ukraine that is under our control under the NATO umbrella. We need to do it fast," Zelensky was cited as saying, as per Xinhua news agency.
Later, Ukraine may be able to regain those territories that are now occupied by Russia, he said, pointing out that the invitation to NATO must recognize Ukraine's borders recognized internationally.
Zelensky said a ceasefire must ensure that Russia "does not return" to take more of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Russian side appears to be a low-profile response to this.
So far, the Kremlin is still mum on Zelensky's statements.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, said on his Telegram channel, "Moscow will no longer let Western countries arm Kyiv under the guise of an agreement."
He appealed to Ukrainian politicians to drop their aspiration to join NATO. "Kyiv is seeking to join NATO, this is the key to moving forward, not the end of the war. The idea of freezing the conflict is also unacceptable," he said.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army has liberated 88 settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk region, the Zaporozhye, Kursk and Kharkov Regions in the fall of 2024.
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