“Not even a village where one person lives will be given away”: Zelenskyy rejects exchange of Ukraine's territories for any status

Zelenskyy said this during a press conference following the NATO summit in Vilnius, Espreso TV reports.

In this way, he responded to the question that US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz allegedly insisted on careful wording regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO so that this status could then be used in negotiations with Russia.    

"I am sure that Biden and Scholz will not take a traitorous position. But I must say on my own behalf that we will never exchange any status for any of our territories. Even if it is one village where one grandfather lives. We will not give up our territories and will never exchange them for a frozen conflict. This will never happen. My position is clearly known to our partners," Zelenskyy stressed.

NATO summit and Ukraine's accession to the Alliance

On July 11 to 12, a summit of NATO leaders was taking place in Vilnius. Meetings are held at the level of leaders and governments. For the first time, the summit is hosted by Lithuania. The events are taking place at the LITEXPO convention center. Thousands of military personnel provide security during the events, with Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems protecting the sky.

The meetings are attended by leaders of 31 NATO countries, including US President Joe Biden, and delegations from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden. In total, over 2,400 members of 48 foreign delegations, including up to 40 heads of state and 150 other high-ranking government officials, were expected to arrive in Vilnius. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also attending the summit.

In particular, on July 11, the NATO summit in Vilnius adopted a package of decisions regarding Ukraine: the Membership Action Plan phase is canceled, and the country will receive an invitation to join the Alliance after fulfilling the requirements for accession and subject to the consent of all allies. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was outraged by the existence of "conditions" for Ukraine to receive an invitation to NATO and said that it looked like "unwillingness to invite our country to the Alliance."

The Allies reached a consensus on a communiqué regarding Ukraine, reaffirming their 2008 commitment that Ukraine would eventually join NATO. The document further acknowledged that Ukraine's journey towards complete Euro-Atlantic integration has surpassed the benchmarks outlined in the Membership Action Plan. Member states emphasized Ukraine's increasing operational and political integration with the Alliance, as well as the notable advancements made in implementing reforms. Additionally, it was stated that NATO foreign ministers will conduct regular evaluations of progress through the Annual National Program.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, shared his response to the decisions made during the first day of the Vilnius NATO Summit. He expressed the belief that the Alliance should not postpone Ukraine's accession to NATO. 

Furthermore, he mentioned that NATO did not specify the conditions that Ukraine needs to meet in order to join the Alliance, and it remains unclear who should be responsible for formulating those conditions.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the results of the NATO summit and said that if Ukraine had received an invitation to join the Alliance, it "would have been ideal."

On Wednesday, July 12, the G7 countries agreed on a joint declaration that outlines the parameters of security guarantees for Ukraine. The agreement will be open to all interested countries.