Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday a stalemate with Russia is “not an option” and revived the prospect of his country joining the NATO military alliance.
Mr. Zelenskyy, speaking to a virtual conference hosted by the Financial Times, said Ukraine lost “too many people to simply cede our territory” and must regain “full control of our entire territory” as Russian forces carve off pieces of the eastern Donbas region and southern ports.
The Ukrainian leader also said NATO should invite his country into the alliance if Kyiv decides it needs to join.
“There’s no need to waste time in discussing its accession,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Russia has pointed to the influence of NATO along its western border as a motivating factor behind its aggression toward Ukraine. It doesn’t want the alliance in its sphere of influence in eastern Europe.
Previously, Mr. Zelenskyy had signaled it would be impossible for Ukraine to join NATO.
The Ukrainian leader spoke as western nations such as the U.S. and U.K. agree to provide more advanced weapons to Ukrainian forces, which are engaged in fierce street fighting with Russian invaders in the key cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
Mr. Zelenskyy said he is “very happy” that Boris Johnson is still the prime minister of the U.K. after the Parliament held a confidence vote Monday.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.