President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the statement made by newly elected US President Donald Trump regarding Ukraine's entry into NATO. He thinks it's too early to come to any conclusions, as he said during a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
He said, 'Remember, Ukraine was told the Patriot systems can only be in NATO countries? Either we've been part of NATO for a long time, or we shouldn't jump to conclusions'.
The president pointed out that a similar occurrence happened with Patriot defence systems, missile systems, and other weapons that adhere to NATO standards.
We need to work and take every measure to make sure Ukraine receives the security guarantees that its people deserve, which could stop Putin. We will be working on this.
It is stated by Zelenskyy that one of the causes of the war is Ukraine's lack of membership in NATO and its absence of specific security guarantees.
"To be frank, unfortunately, with utmost respect to all UK countries and to the United States, with utmost respect to the amount of backing we've had since the war began, but there was no unified support across the US and its European allies regarding Ukraine's NATO membership," he admitted.
The President pointed out that some countries had expressed opposition to Ukraine's membership of NATO.
"A fact is that America, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia were involved," he said. "If we speak openly, we need to acknowledge and admit - no one saw us there. I genuinely think this is one of the reasons we're experiencing conflict right now," the president stated.
From Zelenskyy's perspective, Russian leader Vladimir Putin was aware that no one was going to support Ukraine.
"His (Putin's) military is greater in numbers, and he thought he could defeat us. But the Ukrainian armed forces are comprised of resilient individuals. Our people have made a remarkable impression on the rest of the world," Zelenskyy observed.
He pointed out that Ukraine is entitled to secure strict, dependable security assurances.
"I've spoken with three US presidents about this. I've spoken with President Trump, then with President Biden, and now again with President Trump. I have consistently raised the issue of security guarantees, I've said," the president said.
President Zelenskyy also mentioned that until Ukraine receives significant security guarantees, it is pointless to expect Ukrainians to come back from Europe.
You can discuss this in Europe, wishing for Ukrainians to return home while not committing to provide them with security assurances. To me, this seems somewhat inconsistent. I firmly believe that every Ukrainian who wishes to return should have security guarantees for their family. ... We require concrete security guarantees, and we're asking America and Europe's allies to provide these. I shall be discussing this point with the US president. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet.
What Trump said
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, US President-elect Donald Trump said he knows why Russia launched a strike on Ukraine.
He says Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has consistently stated that NATO should not draw a connection with Ukraine.
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