Ukraine will join NATO only as one country, complete with all its territories – Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this on Sunday, December 1, 2024, during a joint briefing in Kyiv with the newly appointed President of the European Council Antonio Costa, UNIAN reports.

"Part of Ukraine's territories cannot be invited to join NATO. This would automatically imply that all other territories are not only at risk but also are not considered Ukrainian. Therefore, Ukraine will never agree to such an approach," the Ukrainian president stated.

Regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO, the President stressed that joining the Alliance would be the best guarantee of security for Ukraine, and this, like integration into the EU, is a matter of principle.

However, he stated that it is impossible for only a part of the country to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

"Of course, it will all come back. Of course, I would really like to see the majority (of the territories lost as a result of the Russian occupation - ed.) return diplomatically so that there are not so many victims. I'm not sure that everyone understands this, but I want the civilized world to understand it for the most part," Zelenskyy explained.

• Earlier, in an interview with the British TV channel Sky News, Zelenskyy suggested that he was ready to conclude a ceasefire agreement without the temporarily occupied territories in exchange for NATO membership in order to return them "diplomatically." At the same time, the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine will not be recognized as Russian under any circumstances.
• Zelenskyy stressed separately: "But the invitation (to NATO - ed.) should be made to Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders."