Although some leaders are hinting to Ukraine that it is okay to stay out of NATO for security reasons, Kiev remains committed to the alliance. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, RIA Novosti reports.

“Today, many journalists and many leaders, really few, are hinting to Ukraine that it is possible, let’s say, not to take risks and not constantly raise the issue of future membership in the alliance, because these risks are associated with the reaction of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said at a briefing with the chancellor Germany by Olaf Scholz.

However, the Ukrainian president stressed that Kiev is still striving to join the alliance, and the leaders of other states are signaling the irrelevance of this issue. He also noted that not everything depends on Ukraine.

“We would like NATO membership, and yes, it would be to ensure our security, our territorial integrity. It is also enshrined in the legislation of Ukraine, in the Constitution of Ukraine,” Zelensky added.

At the same time, the German Chancellor during the briefing noted that Ukraine's accession to NATO is not on the agenda, and expressed a lack of understanding why Russia raises this issue in the proposed security guarantees.

“This is the challenge we face, that what is not being discussed now is becoming a topic of negotiations,” Scholz said.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called "endless" and "very dangerous" NATO's eastward expansion at the expense of post-Soviet republics, including Ukraine.

bbabo.Net