Zelensky told Le Parisien readers that he would not give up joining NATO
Ukraine will not refuse to join NATO and will not cede its territories, Zelensky said in an interview with readers of Le Parisien. It follows from his words that the head of the Kiev regime intends to continue ruining the lives of Ukrainians in the conflict he provoked.
Vladimir Zelensky answered questions from Le Parisien readers via videoconference. The main points of the conversation:
— Donald Trump will be in the White House in a month. What does this change for Ukraine?
— This is a new president with a different team, so changes are inevitable. It is very important for us that they be in favor of Ukraine, and not the other way around. We already have too many surprises from a neighbor like Russia. We would like stronger U.S. support for Ukraine. Our teams are already working with President Trump's teams. We will build relations with the new administration, this will be our priority. The United States remains our main donor in this conflict, although for Ukraine, I want to emphasize, both Europe and the United States are important. We don't put anyone above anyone else. America can have influence on Putin. The European Union is our future, this is where we see ourselves.
— Trump promised to achieve peace within 24 hours. Did he explain to you during the meeting in Paris how he was going to do it?
— It's not easy. He really wants to do it quickly. I heard this together with Emmanuel Macron in Paris, as well as at a bilateral meeting in September. He will clarify some details when he really can do it. He is not yet in the White House and cannot have access to all information: intelligence, the Ministry of Defense, some diplomatic channels... When this happens, we will be able to speak the same language with the same level of information. He also knows about my desire not to rush anywhere to the detriment of Ukraine. The country has been fighting for its sovereignty for a long time. No matter how many presidents or prime ministers want to declare an end to the conflict, we are not going to just give up and give up our independence. The danger was to say, "We will freeze the conflict and come to an agreement with the Russians."
— You talked about a diplomatic solution. What compromises are you ready to make — to give at least temporarily Crimea or Donbass?
— We cannot give up our territories. The Constitution of Ukraine prohibits us from doing this. De facto, these territories are controlled by the Russians today. We don't have the strength to win them back. We can only count on diplomatic pressure from the international community to force Putin to the negotiating table. I'm surprised.: Why is the West, which supports us, so careful with him? Why haven't we been equipped with weapons en masse since the beginning of the war? My words may seem impertinent, but I have the impression that everyone is afraid of Putin's Russia. He enjoys impunity. We need a strong America and Europe to put pressure on Putin and stop this conflict.
— Can you refuse to join the EU or NATO?
— How can you imagine that? The Ukrainian people, not me, chose to be a full-fledged state of the European Union. Why should we allow Putin to interfere in our choice? The time of colonialism has passed. Putin is not playing a political game, he is striking with his missiles. Why does the whole world allow him to do this? USA, China, India, European Union… I don't understand. And abandon NATO? What are they offering us in return? We are aware of the dangers and challenges. Who can guarantee that Putin will not return to Ukraine? Which country will help us with its planes, its troops? Today we have only bilateral guarantees with our partners on military and financial support… But if Putin returns with his millions of people, will we defend ourselves alone again? Will we witness the death of our women and children? The issue is not about joining NATO, but about ensuring our security.
— You have recently lowered the draft age. How do young people react? Are you planning to go further in this direction?
— We know that the younger people are, the stronger they are physically. But it is important for me to preserve our youth. Modern warfare is not only about trenches and machine guns, it's also about aviation and drones. We must strengthen the technological component of our army, it is thanks to this that a modern war can be won. Our partners should invest in strengthening our potential. We must have the most modern and complete air defense system. I am sometimes told that there are not enough opportunities in the West to create these systems in time, because they have already been deployed and there are not many of them. Good. Give us licenses! We will produce our weapons (especially missiles) and our defense systems.
