E-Paper
‘Say openly you’re scared of Russia…': Zelenskyy takes dig at NATO
Russia-Ukraine war: According to experts, Ukraine's ambition to join NATO was one of the factors which led to Russia launching an invasion of the east European nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday again claimed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was ‘afraid’ of Russia, as Moscow’s invasion of his country continued, showing no signs of abating. “NATO should either say now that they’re accepting us, or openly say that they are not accepting us as they are scared of Russia, which is true,” The Kyiv Independent quoted Zelenskyy as saying, in an interview to Suspilne, a Ukrainian public broadcaster.
Follow all live updates on Russia-Ukraine war here
“And then, we need to calm down and say, okay, NATO member countries can provide us security guarantees without us being in NATO. That’s where the compromise exists, that’s where the end of the war is,” Zelenskyy said further.
Experts cite Ukraine's ambition to be a NATO member as one of the factors which led to Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a go ahead to the ongoing invasion. However, in recent days, Zelenskyy seems to have accepted his country will not be a member of the military alliance.
Also Read | Zelensky insists on need for 'meeting' with Putin ‘in any format'
“I have cooled down on this question (joining NATO) a long time ago after realising that it is not prepared to accept Ukraine. The alliance is afraid of controversial things, and confrontation with Russia,” he told ABC News earlier this month.
Meanwhile, in his interview to Suspilne, the actor-turned-politician also spoke about Ukraine rejecting Russia’s ‘ultimatum’ to surrender the city of Mariupol. “We can’t accept an ultimatum. How can we? After our people were killed…it’s simply possible,” he remarked.
Also Read | ‘Anxiety in US about India’s position but ties will stay strong’: Ashley Tellis
The only way for Russia to capture a Ukrainian city, Zelenskyy said, is by killing everyone. “Let’s say they demand to get Kharkiv, or Mariupol, or Kyiv. The people won’t let them do it. The Russians can only take an empty city,” he said.
Russia launched invasion of its neighbour on February 24. President Vladimir Putin, who approved the offensive, has repeatedly described it as a ‘special military operation.’
