Ukrainian President Zelenskyy willing to consider cease-fire if NATO safeguards Ukrainian territory

November 29, 2024 TruthUSA

This marks the first instance where Zelenskyy has indicated a willingness to agree to a cease-fire even if Russia maintains control over certain parts of Ukrainian territory.

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that he would agree to a cease-fire deal with Russia under the condition that NATO offers protection to the unoccupied regions of Ukraine.

In an interview with Sky News on Nov. 29, the beleaguered leader mentioned that this arrangement would enable Kyiv to peacefully negotiate the return of its occupied territories with Russia.

Zelenskyy stated, “If we want to halt the active phase of the war, we must bring the territory of Ukraine under NATO’s protection that we currently control.”

“We must act swiftly. Subsequently, Ukraine can engage in diplomatic efforts to reclaim the [occupied] territory,” he added.

This statement represents the first occasion on which Zelenskyy has shown a readiness to consider a cease-fire agreement where Ukraine does not have full control over its territory.

President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use certain anti-personnel mines and reportedly granted permission to use U.S.-supplied tactical ballistic missiles against Russian military targets, but these measures seem to have had minimal impact on the ongoing conflict.

Despite these developments, it seems unlikely that Moscow or NATO would agree to Zelenskyy’s proposal.

Ukraine has been seeking NATO membership since 1997. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine’s accession poses a significant security threat to Russia and has demanded that Kyiv commit to never joining the alliance as a condition for ending the war.

Even if Putin were to indicate a willingness to soften this stance, Ukraine faces other obstacles.

Firstly, joining NATO requires unanimous approval from all member states, which may be challenging given that some NATO members, such as Hungary and Turkey, have previously expressed reservations about Ukraine’s membership due to Russia’s concerns.

Secondly, it is unclear whether Ukraine currently meets NATO’s standards for transparency and anti-corruption measures expected of member nations.

Similar to many former Soviet countries, Ukraine has struggled with corruption historically. While progress has been made in the last decade, it remains doubtful that Ukraine can demonstrate compliance with NATO’s 2016 Building Integrity Policy, which aims to ensure transparency in defense institutions and adherence to democratic governance principles.

Lastly, it is uncertain whether NATO would admit Ukraine while Kyiv maintains claims to territories occupied by Russia, as this could potentially drag the alliance into a conflict through its mutual defense commitments.

Zelenskyy’s remarks come after President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of retired Gen. Keith Kellogg as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Kellogg previously outlined a plan to end the war by freezing front lines and convening negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelenskyy expressed his desire to collaborate directly with Trump to resolve the conflict.

“I want to work closely with him [Trump] because there are differing opinions among his advisors. So, we must prevent any interference from others in our communication,” he stated.

“I want to exchange ideas with him and hear his perspective.”

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