KYIV (Reuters) – Volodimir Zelensky said on Friday he was aware that Ukraine would not join NATO as long as the war with Russia lasted.
“We are decent people and we understand that we will not drag any NATO country into a war,” the Ukrainian president told reporters in Kyiv, alongside his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis.
“And that’s why we understand that we won’t become a member of NATO as long as the war continues. Not because we don’t want to, but because it’s impossible,” he added.
Volodimir Zelensky on Thursday demanded a “clear” response from NATO at its next summit in July in Vilnius on Ukraine’s membership prospects. However, the countries of the Atlantic alliance differ on the timetable for this integration.
(Written by Dan Peleschuk, French version Bertrand Boucey, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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