I have never said that I am ready to discuss the neutrality of Ukraine – Zelenskyy
Kyiv • UNN
The President of Ukraine stated that he never spoke about being ready for negotiations regarding neutrality. According to him, it was an ultimatum from the Russians, not a peace proposal.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that he never said he was ready to discuss Ukraine's neutrality. He said this during a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Norway, reports UNN.
A journalist from a Norwegian media outlet stated that Zelenskyy allegedly said in March 2022 that he would discuss neutrality, which means renouncing NATO membership.
To a clarifying question about whether he is still ready to discuss Ukraine's neutrality, Zelenskyy answered: "I never said that I am ready to discuss Ukraine's neutrality. It never sounded... The Russians raised this issue. When they came to us with an ultimatum, the first ultimatum was the reduction of the Ukrainian army, neutrality, that is, non-alignment in principle. They wanted us to recognize the occupied territories as Russian..."
Zelenskyy emphasized that this is an ultimatum, not a proposal to end the war.
Addition
Bloomberg reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not plan to compromise on demands for land, peacekeepers and Ukraine's neutrality during any peace negotiations.
