Medvedev says Ukraine will have to give up Kyiv to join NATO

Medvedev wrote about this on Telegram.

This is how the former Russian president responded to the suggestion by NATO Secretary General Stefan Jensen that Ukraine might make territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for membership in the Alliance. 

"The idea is interesting. The only question is that all their alleged territories are very disputed. And in order to join the bloc, the Kyiv authorities will have to give up even Kyiv itself, the capital of Ancient Rus," Medvedev wrote. 

He added that Ukraine's capital would allegedly have to be moved to Lviv, "if the Poles agree." 

What is known about Ukraine's accession to NATO

On 15 August, NATO Secretary General's Chief of Staff Stian Jenssen has suggested the possibility of Ukraine's territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for membership in the Alliance.

The NATO summit took place in Vilnius on July 11-12. The meetings were held at the level of country leaders and governments. The meetings were attended by the leaders of 31 NATO countries, including U.S. President Joe Biden, and delegations from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden were invited. In total, more than 2,400 members of 48 foreign delegations arrived in Vilnius, including up to 40 heads of state and 150 other high-ranking government officials. The summit was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During the summit on July 11, a decision was made regarding Ukraine. The Membership Action Plan stage was canceled, and Ukraine will receive an invitation to join the Alliance once it fulfills the entry requirements and gains the agreement of all NATO allies.

President Zelenskyy expressed his dissatisfaction with the conditions attached to Ukraine's invitation, stating that it seemed like a lack of readiness to invite Ukraine to NATO.

On July 23, Defense Minister Reznikov expressed the opinion that Ukraine could be admitted to NATO in the summer of 2024. At the same time, NATO countries have repeatedly said that Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is impossible until the war with Russia is over.