Zelensky offers to drop NATO bid — but with a key condition

On Sunday, December 14, talks were held in Berlin between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of US President Donald Trump’s team. The sides discussed a peace plan, under which the Ukrainian leader proposed abandoning the country’s aspiration to join NATO in exchange for security guarantees.

This was reported by Reuters.

Ukraine may abandon NATO

"Ahead of the talks, Zelenskiy offered to drop Ukraine's goal to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees," the publication states.

Ahead of the talks, Zelensky had also said that Ukraine could consider abandoning NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees from the West.

"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction. Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion," the president told journalists.

Reuters notes that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine formally renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw troops from Donbas. Moscow has also stated that Ukraine must remain a neutral country and that NATO troops cannot be stationed on Ukrainian territory.

The outlet adds that earlier this year Russian sources said Putin wanted to obtain a "written" promise from leading Western countries not to expand the US-led NATO alliance eastward. This would, in turn, mean the formal exclusion of membership for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics.

Reuters also reports that talks between Ukrainian and US delegations will continue on Monday, December 15.

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