If the process of Ukraine joining NATO drags on for years or decades, the country will need nuclear weapons and adequate armament to defend itself against the aggression of the Russian Federation. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Piers Morgan.
The British host inquired about a potential "Plan B" for Ukraine that would provide sufficient security guarantees to deter dictator Vladimir Putin from a possible new invasion. He noted that he does not believe Putin invaded Ukraine due to the potential NATO membership, but rather simply wanted to seize Ukraine. Based on this, in considering negotiations on how the active phase of the war in Ukraine might conclude, he believes it is unlikely that a peace agreement will include Ukraine's accession to NATO.
In response, Zelensky stated that joining NATO is "not today, but at some point in the future," and that, "unfortunately, it does not depend on us."
"If this process takes years or decades—not because of us, but because of our partners—then we will have a completely legitimate question: what will protect us from this evil during all this time? What kind of support package? What missiles? Will they give us nuclear weapons? Will they provide us with enough missiles to stop Russia? I think that would help. Otherwise, what missiles can stop Russia's nuclear missiles? That's a rhetorical question," Zelensky remarked.
Therefore, he proposes the following option:
"Return our nuclear weapons, give us missiles, help us finance a million-strong army, move your contingent to those parts of our state where we want stability, so that the people can have peace," the president expressed.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that today Ukraine is not in NATO, while the Russians are on our land.
"And America says that we are not ready to accept Ukraine into NATO. Then Putin must completely withdraw from our territory. This is logical. Then we will talk about everything else. About financial compensation for all the losses we have incurred. Because there must be logic. He invaded because he feared we would become NATO members. Okay, we are not NATO members. Go back to your land. This should be viewed exactly that way," Zelensky said.
Ukraine and NATO: Current News
As reported by UNIAN, Zelensky previously stated that Ukraine's membership in NATO is the cheapest option for post-war security guarantees among all possibilities. He emphasized that Ukraine will not agree to security guarantees in the form of some signed "paper."
The Ukrainian president is confident that if U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to see Ukraine in NATO, Ukraine will gain membership in the Alliance, because thanks to the Republican's position, "everyone will be in favor." But if Trump is against it, then Ukraine will not be in NATO.
It is known that last summer, Trump stated that, in his opinion, Russia's invasion was provoked by Ukraine's intentions to join the Alliance. He said that his predecessor, Joe Biden, should never have promised Ukraine NATO membership.