Hardly any hope of joining
Zelenskyy accepts NATO rejection
03/15/2022, 05:09 p.m
The Ukrainian desire to join NATO quickly had eroded a few days ago in the face of the Russian war of aggression and the reluctance of the North Atlantic military alliance. Now he is very worn out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has admitted that his country’s prospects of joining NATO are unlikely. “It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO, we understand that,” Zelenskyy said during an online appearance to representatives of the northern European military-cooperative Joint Expeditionary Force. “For years we have heard about open doors, but now we have also heard that we are not allowed to enter there and we have to accept that,” Zelenskyj added. “I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this, to count on themselves and on our partners to help us.”
Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine for almost three weeks, is demanding a so-called neutral status for the neighboring country – that is, Ukraine renouncing NATO membership. According to the Unian agency, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said there were only two ways to end the war: either Moscow would comply with Kiev’s demand for a troop withdrawal in the ongoing negotiations. Or Russia will keep fighting – and will ultimately be defeated by the Ukrainian army. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament extended martial law by a further 30 days until April 25. It was first announced on February 24, a few hours after the Russian invasion.
Russia had cited Ukraine’s desire to join NATO as one of the main reasons for the invasion of the neighboring country. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin demands a “neutral” status for Ukraine. Moscow says it feels threatened by NATO’s eastward expansion.
Zelenskyy said in an interview a week ago that he had “softened his stance on this issue some time ago” because NATO was apparently not ready “to accept Ukraine.”