Speaking to British channel Sky News, Zelensky laid out his case for joining the transatlantic military alliance, saying his country could not legally recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian because that would be against the constitution. .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said NATO membership should be based on Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
Speaking to British channel Sky News, Zelensky laid out his case for joining the transatlantic military alliance, saying his country could not legally recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian because that would be against the constitution. .
“You can’t invite only part of a country. Why? Because you would recognize that this territory is part of Ukraine and the other part is Russia. So legally we don’t have the right to recognize the occupied territory as the territory of Russia and here we must not make any mistakes,” he said.
Zelenskyy said NATO membership would effectively and quickly help defuse the conflict, allowing his country and Russia to diplomatically negotiate the return of areas to Kremlin control.
Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO has angered the Kremlin and is one of the main reasons for the Russian invasion.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denounced NATO expansion, calling it a violation of Russian security.
But the invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland, two historically non-aligned countries, to apply to join the alliance. Finland joined NATO in early 2023 and Sweden a year later.
Finland shares a land border of over 1,300 km with Russia.
Zelensky’s comments on Sky come a day after Moscow launched another large-scale air attack on Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities said nearly 200 drones and missiles targeted infrastructure, disrupting electricity supplies to more than a million people.
In previous years, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s electricity generation, aiming to deprive civilians of essential supplies of heat and clean water during the harsh winter months and to break morale. Ukrainians.
The attacks are also aimed at hampering Ukraine’s defense industry, which now produces missiles, drones and armored vehicles, among other military assets.
Right of self-defense
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Russia had the right to defend itself against Ukrainian strikes using long-range weapons supplied by the West.
Kim’s remarks, reported by North Korea’s KCNA news agency, were made to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who is in Pyongyang for talks with military and political leaders.
On Friday, Belousov met with his North Korean counterpart No Kwang Cho as part of what Belousov called an effort to expand military cooperation between the two countries.
ADVERTISEMENTRussia’s defense chief also said a strategic partnership agreement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June aimed to “stabilize” Northeast Asia.
“The agreement aims to reduce the risk of war, including nuclear weapons, and make a positive contribution to maintaining the balance of power in the region,” Belousov said.
During his speech, the North Korean No said Pyongyang would stand “on the common front with its Russian comrades to safeguard international peace and security.”
Belousov’s visit came just days after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in the capital Seoul.
ADVERTISEMENTYoon called on the two countries to formulate countermeasures against North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia to support its war effort in Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have said North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia in recent weeks and that some of them are engaged in combat.
In recent months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prioritized relations with Russia as he attempts to break its isolation and strengthen its international presence, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War “.
