Zelenskyy responds to Trump's statement on Ukraine's NATO membership

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to a statement made by newly elected US President Donald Trump about Ukraine's possible membership in NATO. He thinks it's too early to make conclusions on the matter, according to what he said during a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

Remember, they told Ukraine that Patriot systems are only available to NATO countries? Either we've been part of NATO for a while, or we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

The president pointed out that a similar situation occurred with Patriot missile systems, as well as other NATO-standard military equipment.

We must work diligently to secure Ukraine the defense guarantees it deserves, which would effectively block Putin. We will be pursuing this initiative.

According to Zelenskyy, one of the reasons for the war is that Ukraine is not a member of NATO and lacks specific security guarantees.

Admittingly, unfortunately, with all respect to all European countries and the United States, with all respect to the aid we've received since the war began, there was unfortunately no unified support with all the European allies here in the United States about Ukraine's NATO membership, he admitted.

The president pointed out that certain countries have previously expressed opposition to Ukraine's bid for NATO membership.

These were the countries of America, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia. That's a fact. If we speak openly, we need to acknowledge and admit honestly - nobody was aware of our presence there. I believe one of the reasons we have this war is because of that.

In President Zelenskyy's opinion, Russian leader Vladimir Putin clearly recognized that no one would defend Ukraine.

"Their army is bigger, and he thought he could defeat us, but the Ukrainian army is made up of powerful people. Our people have made a strong impression on the entire world," Zelenskyy concluded.

He stressed the point that today Ukraine deserves the right to demand genuine and powerful security guarantees.

I've discussed this with three US presidents. This includes conversations with President Trump, then President Biden, and a conversation again with President Trump. Throughout these conversations, I've consistently emphasized the need for security assurances.

Ukraine's president also noted that, until significant security guarantees are provided, it is pointless to hope for Ukrainians to return from Europe.

I think there's a disconnect when people in Europe say they want Ukrainians to return while not offering concrete security protections for Ukraine. It doesn't make sense to me. For every Ukrainian who wants to come back, I believe their family should have some level of security assurance. ...We're not just asking for general promises, we're seeking explicit security guarantees, and we're asking that from America and other key allies. I plan to discuss this with the US president and I'm not recommending jumping to conclusions prematurely.

What Trump said

As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, newly elected US President Donald Trump said that he understands why Russia attacked Ukraine.

According to him, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly maintained that NATO should not be connected to Ukraine.