NATO's offer of controlled land in Ukraine could end the 'hot stage' of the war: Zelenskyy – National
The granting of NATO membership to the territory under the control of Kyiv will end the “hot phase of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance must be transferred to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. he said in a broadcast interview.
Zelenskyy's remarks on Friday signaled a possible continuation of Ukraine's difficult path to future NATO membership. At their meeting in Washington in July, the 32 members declared Ukraine's “irreversible” membership. However, another obstacle to progress has been the idea that Ukraine's borders will need to be clearly demarcated before it joins so that there is no mistake when the defense alliance agreement will come into force.
“You can't give an invitation to one part of the country,” the Ukrainian president said in an excerpt from an interview with Sky News, dubbed the UK broadcaster. “Why? Because that way you will realize that Ukraine is only Ukrainian territory and the other is Russia.”
“So legally, legally, we do not have the right to recognize the occupied territory as Russian territory,” he said.
Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has been spending massive amounts of weapons and lives to gain a small but solid foothold in the roughly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls in eastern and southern Ukraine.
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we must take under the umbrella of NATO the territory of Ukraine that we control. That is what we need to do, immediately. Then Ukraine will be able to restore another part of its territory in terms of communications,” he said.
The invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is one of the key points of Zelenskyy's “victory plan”, which he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. This plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in any negotiations with Moscow.
Earlier this week, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance “must go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Military aid to Kyiv and measures to end the war are expected to be at the top of the agenda when NATO ministers meet in Brussels for a two-day summit starting on December 3.
However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance will require a lengthy process and the agreement of all member states.
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There is also uncertainty about the foreign policy stance of President-elect Donald Trump. While Trump has vowed on the campaign trail to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine in one day, he has yet to publicly discuss how this might happen. Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, an 80-year-old, highly decorated and retired veteran, will serve as his special envoy to Ukraine and Russia.
In April, Kellogg wrote that “ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace agreement and quickly end hostilities between the two warring factions.”
Meanwhile, during his only campaign debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war – raising concerns that Kyiv could be forced to accept unfair terms in any negotiations.
Zelenskyy's statement comes as Ukraine faces increasing pressure along its 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. In its latest report, the Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said on Saturday that Russian troops had recently advanced towards Kupiansk, Toretsk, and near Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, which is an important military route for the Ukrainian army.
The air force of Ukraine announced on Saturday that the country was attacked by ten Russian planes, eight of which were shot down in the areas of Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson. One drone returned to a Russian base, while the last drone disappeared from radar, usually a sign of the use of electronic defenses.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down by the country's air defense systems. Both the mayor of Sochi, Andrey Proshunin, and the head of Russia's Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, both in southwestern Russia, said drones were destroyed in their areas overnight. No injuries were reported.
On Friday, the president of Ukraine announced a number of changes in the leadership of the military, saying that changes in personnel management are needed to improve the situation on the battlefield.
General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who led the defense of Kharkiv during Russia's attack on Ukraine's second largest city this year, has been appointed as the new head of Ukraine's Ground Forces. Oleh Apostol has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief of Staff responsible for improving military training.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also announced on Friday that he will reinforce units in Donetsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove with additional reserves, ammunition, weapons and military equipment.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
