Zelensky assumed the end of the “hot phase of the war”, when the unoccupied territories of Ukraine will be taken over by NATO

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that the "hot phase" of the war with Russia will end when the unoccupied territories of Ukraine will be under the protection of NATO. Ukraine will return the remaining territories through diplomatic channels.

Zelensky said this in an interview with Sky News.

"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take the territory of Ukraine controlled by us under the "NATO umbrella". It must be done quickly. And then Ukraine will be able to return the occupied territories diplomatically," the president noted.

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine should receive an invitation to NATO within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

"The fact that this is a decision to end the hot stage of the war is a fact. Because it is possible to give NATO to the part of Ukraine that is under our control. Fact. It was possible, no one suggested it. But the invitation must be made to Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. You cannot give an invitation only to a part. Why? Because then you will admit that this is only a part of Ukraine and is Ukraine, and that is Russia," the president said.

Participation in NATO can guarantee that "Putin will not come back", the Ukrainian president believes. And a ceasefire without security guarantees from NATO, in his opinion, will only help the Russian Federation seize even more territory.

• In October 2024, President Zelensky said that an end to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and ships could open the way to negotiations on ending the war.
• The Financial Times, citing a source, wrote that the "German model" for ending the war in Ukraine has long been discussed in Western foreign policy circles. It foresees that Ukraine will be offered to join NATO without the occupied territories, which it must agree to return through diplomatic channels.

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