Non-NATO countries cannot veto Ukraine's accession to alliance – Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during a press briefing on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"No country outside NATO can veto Ukraine's membership in NATO. Russia is outside NATO. Russia is not only a criminal and an aggressor, but also a party to this war -- it cannot talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, because it violates them," Zelensky said.
"Is there a dialogue between the United States and Russia regarding Ukraine's NATO membership? I'm sure there is. And if the idea is to document Ukraine's rejection of NATO, I have a direct question: Does rejecting NATO mean security guarantees?" he added.
He noted that the United States has, in practice, not supported Ukraine's NATO membership -- at least not in the near future. Therefore, in talks with the U.S., there may be discussions about offering Ukraine security guarantees in exchange for renouncing NATO membership.
"If we give up NATO, what is Russia giving up? They previously claimed they invaded Ukraine to protect their country's security because NATO was moving closer. So if NATO is no longer approaching, what will Russia propose? If all they offer is 'you give up NATO' – that's a threat. And we're not afraid of Russian threats," Zelensky said.
