Zelensky says NATO offer to Ukraine-controlled territory could end ‘hot phase’ of war

kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — An offer of NATO membership to territory under kyiv’s control would end Ukraine’s “hot phase of the war,” but any proposal to join the military alliance would have to be extended to all regions of the country that fall under NATO. internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a broadcast interview.

Zelensky’s remarks Friday pointed to a possible path forward on the difficult path Ukraine faces toward future NATO membership. At their summit in Washington in July, the 32 members declared that Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to membership. However, one of the obstacles to progress is the idea that Ukraine’s borders should be clearly demarcated before it can join, so that there is no doubt about where the agreement mutual defense of the alliance would come into force.

“You cannot invite just one part of a country,” the Ukrainian president said in an excerpt from the interview given to Sky News, dubbed by the British channel. “Why? Because then you would recognize that Ukraine is only one territory of Ukraine and the other is Russia.”

Under the Ukrainian constitution, Ukraine cannot recognize Russian-occupied territory as Russian.

“So legally we do not have the right to recognize the occupied territory as the territory of Russia,” he said.

Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has spent enormous amounts of weapons and human lives to make modest but steady territorial gains in nearly a fifth of Ukraine that it already controls in the eastern and southern Ukraine.

“If we want to end the hot phase of the war, we must bring the territory of Ukraine that we control under NATO umbrella. This is what we need to do, quickly. Ukraine will then be able to diplomatically recover the other part of its territory,” he said.

Inviting Ukraine to join NATO is one of the key points of Zelensky’s “victory plan” that he presented to Western allies and the Ukrainian people in October. The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its position in 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 a Russian invasion. Military aid to kyiv and steps to end the war are expected to be high on the agenda when NATO members’ foreign ministers meet in Brussels for a two-day meeting that will begin on December 3.

However, any decision for Ukraine to join the military alliance would require a longer process and the agreement of all member states.

There is also uncertainty about President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy stance. While Trump pledged during his election campaign to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a single day, he has not publicly discussed how that could happen. Trump also announced Wednesday that Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated 80-year-old retired three-star general, would be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

In April, Kellog wrote that “ending the war between Russia and Ukraine will require strong leadership, from America first, to reach a peace agreement and immediately end the hostilities between the two belligerent parties.

Meanwhile, during his only campaign debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump twice refused to directly answer the question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war – sparking fears that kyiv is not forced to accept unfavorable conditions in any negotiations.

Zelensky’s statement comes as Ukraine faces increasing pressure along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. In its latest report, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Saturday that Russian forces had recently advanced near Kupiansk, Toretsk, as well as near Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka, a road key logistics for the Ukrainian army.

The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Saturday that the country was attacked by ten Russian drones, eight of which were shot down over the kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions. One drone returned to territory occupied by Russia, while the last one disappeared from radar, often a sign of the use of electronic defenses.

At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down by the country’s air defense systems. Sochi Mayor Andrei Prochunin and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region Sergei Melikov, both in southwest Russia, said drones were destroyed in their regions overnight. No casualties have been reported.

Ukraine’s president announced a number of changes in the military leadership on Friday, saying changes in personnel management were needed to improve the situation on the battlefield.

General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who led the defense of Kharkiv during Russia’s renewed offensive against Ukraine’s second-largest city this year, has been named the new head of Ukraine’s ground forces. Oleh Apostol was appointed as the new deputy commander-in-chief responsible for improving military training.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also announced on Friday that he would reinforce units in Donetsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove with additional reserves, ammunition, weapons and military equipment. ___ Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

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