'War could end if Ukraine's unoccupied parts come under NATO': Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said that once NATO membership happens, the remaining occupied regions of Ukraine can be gotten back in a “diplomatic way”.

The war in Ukraine could end if the country's unoccupied parts are taken "under the NATO umbrella", Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Sky News.

Zelenskyy noted that the NATO invitation should recognise Ukraine's internationally recognised borders. (AP)

Zelenskyy was asked to respond to reports that said US President-elect Donald Trump's plan to end the war might involve Kyiv giving up the land taken by Russia in exchange for Ukraine's NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) membership.

The Ukrainian president said that parts of the country that are under his control will have to be offered NATO membership for the "hot phase of the war" to end. Provided, he said, the invitation recognises Ukraine's internationally recognised borders.

Zelenskyy said that once that happens, he can get back the remaining occupied territory of Ukraine "in a diplomatic way".

He further pressed on the need for a ceasefire deal, saying that it is important because it will guarantee that Russian president Vladimir Putin "will not come back".

Notably, no such offer from NATO has been made to Ukraine yet.

"Ukraine has never considered such a proposal, because no one has officially offered it to us,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by BBC.

He reiterated that NATO should "immediately" cover all the regions under Kyiv's control, something that Ukraine needs "very much".

Additionally, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has to work with the US' new president, Donald Trump, who will take office in January 2025. The collaborative work is imperative to "have the biggest supporter", he said.

"I want to work with him directly because there are different voices from people around him. And that's why we need not to [allow] anybody around to destroy our communication," the Ukrainian president was quoted as saying by Sky News.

Trump, throughout his election campaigns for the White House race, had vowed to end the Ukraine war as soon as he assumed office.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, had reportedly said in the past that Ukraine wishes to end the war with Russia through "diplomatic means" in 2025.