President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted that without Ukraine there would be no strong European Union, and the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) would "lose" from this. During his speech at the Yalta European Strategy Forum in the YES Brainstorming 2021 format in Kyiv, the Head of State also noted that if our country is not admitted to these unions, Russia will get stronger. He also did not rule out the likelihood of a full-fledged war with the Russian Federation and called it potentially the biggest mistake of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Losses that NATO and the EU will sustain without Ukraine as their member
"We believe that NATO needs us. We believe that there will be no strong EU without Ukraine. I speak about it without disguise. I believe that without Ukraine NATO will lose, I believe that without Ukraine the EU will gradually weaken."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
Zelenskyy noted that in order for "the EU to remain powerful, and NATO to remain an entity," then "Ukraine that is a large, territorially largest (country—ed. note) In Europe, with a strong population that has survived several wars" must be their member. He pointed out that now Ukrainians "do not get what they are capable of, what they count on."
«I see the attitude of leaders to the European Union, to the politicians of the European Union, leaders of the European Union, leaders of modern Europe. Not all of them want to be there, and not all of them want Ukraine to be there. The same is about NATO. I believe so. If you want Russia to become stronger, do not admit Ukraine, and this is not even about a counterbalance to Russia—it is true.»
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Head of State assured that with the current Ukrainian Armed Forces, specialists, and the level of reforms, Ukraine is ready for NATO membership.
"Therefore, when we are told about reforms in the defense sector or in the army, and that is why Ukraine did not join NATO, it seems to me that this is not a completely honest thought."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
He stressed that he had not yet got a clear answer from the United States regarding potential membership in the Alliance and noted that the Ukrainian side had not asked for this and was not going to do so. However, the President stressed that thanks to "relations at a different level" between the countries, Ukraine can always rely on the United States.
Full-scale war with the Russian Federation
During his speech, Zelenskyy did not rule out the deployment of a full-fledged war with Russia.
"I believe this will be the biggest mistake of the Russian Federation. I believe that after that there will never be a neighborhood of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, because there is a presence of Russia on the territory there. This is the worst thing that I can imagine, but, unfortunately, there is such a possibility."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Head of State recalled that one of the leading issues discussed during his meeting with his American counterpart Joe Biden was security. Zelenskyy stressed that the United States was aware of the scale of the threats posed by Russia.
Balance between the United States and China
Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine maintains relations with both the United States and China. However, he admitted that there are certain "signals" about cooperation with the PRC are being heard from the United States.
«I am not saying that there are no signals from the United States about the relations of any country in Europe with China. I am not saying that there are none. But we are still a fairly independent country that chooses business partners for itself. If doing business—and it is clean, open and gives additional jobs in Ukraine—this is the priority.»
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
Context. On September 9, the Verkhovna Rada did not support Resolution No. 5380 on the appeal to the United States to grant Ukraine the bilateral status of the main US ally outside NATO. Only 24 MPs voted "for".
Earlier, President of Russia Vladimir Putin said that if Ukraine became a NATO member, the flight time of the rocket from Kharkiv or Dnipropetrovsk to the central part of Russia, namely to Moscow, would decrease to 7-10 minutes. He noted that the expansion of NATO to the borders of Russia was of "practical importance" for the Kremlin, since many member countries of the Alliance had been able to deploy anti-missile launchers on the territory of Ukraine that could be used not only for defense purposes, and therefore there was a danger for Russia.
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