Is NATO membership the golden ticket to peace in Ukraine? 🇺🇦✨ That's what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes! In a bold move, Zelenskyy announced he's ready to end the \"hot phase\" of the ongoing conflict with Russia if Ukraine can join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
\"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to put the territory of Ukraine that is under our control under the NATO umbrella. We need to do it fast,\" Zelenskyy was quoted saying, according to Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
But that's not all! Zelenskyy is also thinking ahead. He suggested that after joining NATO, Ukraine could work to diplomatically regain territories currently controlled by Russia. Talk about playing the long game! 🎯
He emphasized the importance of a ceasefire to ensure Russia doesn't make any more surprise moves. \"A ceasefire is necessary to guarantee that Russia does not return\" to seize more Ukrainian territory, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Russia's response? Pretty low-key. The Kremlin has been silent on Zelenskyy's proposal. 🤔 But Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, had something to say on his Telegram channel. He called on Ukrainian politicians to ditch their NATO dreams, stating, \"Kyiv is seeking to join NATO; this is the key to moving forward, not the end of the war. The idea of freezing the conflict is also unacceptable.\"
Adding fuel to the fire, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that in the fall of 2024, the Russian army \"liberated\" 88 settlements in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions, as well as the Kursk region, which Ukraine had reportedly entered earlier this year.
The stakes are high, and the world is watching. Will Ukraine's bid for NATO membership pave the way for peace? Or will it escalate tensions even further? Stay tuned as this real-life geopolitical thriller unfolds! 🌍🔥
Reference(s):
Zelenskyy puts NATO membership condition for ceasefire with Russia
cgtn.com
