Zelensky: Ukraine does not want to return nuclear weapons, but should receive a “security umbrella” instead

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine does not want to regain the right to be a nuclear power, but in exchange for this, it should receive a "security umbrella".

He said this at a meeting with journalists on Monday, October 21, in a conversation about the first point of the victory plan, which concerns membership in NATO, the Babel correspondent reports.

"At all negotiations now we raise the issue of our security guarantees. The best is NATO. [...] Thatʼs why we need NATO, because we donʼt have weapons that can stop Putin," the president emphasized, adding that Ukraineʼs invitation to NATO does not depend on Russiaʼs opinion.

"We are not asking for nuclear weapons to be given or returned. My position is very clear. We gave away our weapons but got nothing in return. They only got a full-scale war and many victims. Therefore, today we have only one way out. Thatʼs why we need NATO, because we donʼt have weapons that can stop Putin," Zelensky said.

In his opinion, when Ukraine gave up all its nuclear weapons in 1996, it should have become a member of NATO.

"This is my opinion. I shared it with the US President Joe Biden and US presidential candidate Donald Trump. That is why I said that I cannot understand where justice is in relation to Ukraine. We gave up our nuclear weapons. We did not get NATO. I asked them if you could name me other allies or another "security umbrella", some security measures and guarantees for Ukraine that would be commensurate with NATO. No one can tell me," said Zelensky.

He emphasizes that such a format as the "invitation" of Ukraine to NATO is important, because it is given to the country within internationally recognized borders.

"And this is a fundamental thing for me: to receive an invitation during the war. I believe this is a strong part of the package we offer. This is not just an invitation, but an invitation before the war is over. And the entering, in which way it will take place, and how much time is needed for this — this is the next step, diplomacy. There can be different formats," the president explained.

According to him, Ukraine now sees the consensus of the majority of the Alliance countries and the restrained position of several countries.

"We will work with it. We see confidence in France today. We understand that the British will support us and we believe that the Italians will support us," Zelensky said.

While the German side will have to work a lot. Ukraine hopes that the US will be able to help convince Berlin.

The Victory Plan

On October 16, President Zelensky publicly presented the victory plan in detail for the first time, speaking before Ukrainian deputies in the Verkhovna Rada. It contains five points. The first four are designed for implementation during the war, and the last — after the war.

• Invitation to NATO even before the end of the war. Zelensky claims that this will be a "testament of determination" and will show how the partners see Ukraine in the "security architecture".
• Strengthening the defense. This clause provides for the continuation of the operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Russia and the lifting of restrictions on strikes deep into the Russian Federation, the joint repulsion of Russian air attacks with friendly neighbouring countries and access to intelligence partners.
• Containment of Russia. Ukraine proposes to deploy a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its land, which will be sufficient to protect the state in the future. The clause provides for the joint production of weapons, in particular the financing of weapons production in Ukraine by the West.
• Development of Ukraineʼs strategic and economic potential and strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Valuable resources are concentrated in Ukraine, including uranium, titanium, and lithium. They can strengthen Ukraine and its allies. Ukraine proposes to sign special agreements with the EU and the USA on joint protection, investment in mining and use of these resources.
• The US contingent in NATO will be able to replace the Ukrainian military. After the end of the war, the Ukrainian military can use its experience to strengthen the defense of NATO and Europe.

The plan also contains secret supplements that have already been shared with partners. According to the president, the implementation of each point is calculated for a certain period of time, and if you start implementing it right now, the war will be able to be ended no later than the end of next year.

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