Zelensky: Ukraine will not join NATO
Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine must accept it will never join NATO – a sign which suggests the President is laying the groundwork for a peace deal with Moscow.
Talking on a video call with his military officials today, Zelensky said: “Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand that. We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognised.” Zelensky also said during the video that peace talks with Russia were going “pretty good” without going into any more detail.
Russia has previously said that the war would end “in a moment” if Ukraine is barred from joining the Alliance, Crimea is recognised as Russian territory and Luhansk and Donetsk are accepted as independent states.
Zelensky’s latest comments came hours before he was due to meet at 6pm GMT with the leaders of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic who arrived in Kyiv today after perilous train journeys from around the continent in a show of solidarity for Ukraine.
This is the first visit to the Ukrainian capital by foreign leaders since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s Prime Minister, said: “The aim of the visit is to express the European Union’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and its freedom and independence.”
They have entered the city at a time of heavy bombardment and continuous shelling. This morning, Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a 35-hour city-wide curfew after powerful Russian explosions hit a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv before dawn, igniting a huge fire in a 51-storey apartment building.
Despite the risky nature of the trip, it is a striking symbol of Ukrainian resistance that almost three weeks into the war, President Zelensky is still able to host foreign dignitaries in his own capital.
While Russian shelling has reduced parts of the city to rubble, major road and train routes from the city are still open and Russian troops remain stalled about 15km from the centre of Kyiv, after their advance made little progress over the weekend. Many analysts say Moscow believed it would conquer Kyiv within days of invading.
Earlier today Zelensky said the war had become a “nightmare” for Moscow and urged Russian troops to surrender. Russia has now lost more soldiers in Ukraine than during both Chechen wars combined, he added.
What’s more, sanctions imposed on Russia are getting harsher still. UK ministers have imposed new trade restrictions on a host of Russian products in light of the economic crime bill passed on Monday. Hundreds of goods from Russia and Belarus, including Russian vodka, will now face additional 35% tariffs.
As part of a fourth package of sanctions, the EU has imposed an import ban on a range of Russian steel products as well as luxury goods such as precious stones and clothes valued above €300. It is also banning investments in Russia’s energy sector.
The fresh EU sanctions will target another 15 Russians, including Konstantin Ernst, the chief executive of Russia’s state-controlled TV channel, Channel One. Ernst is the boss of Marina Ovsyannikova – the anti-war protester who has been arrested since her extraordinary display of dissent on live Russian TV – see The Hound, below.
Could it be that the pressure of sanctions on Russia – combined with Zelensky’s willingness to compromise – encourages Putin to negotiate a partial victory and bring the war to an end? It’s a lot to hope for.