Open To Compromise On Donetsk And Lugansk; Not Insisting On NATO Membership: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Saying that “the alliance is afraid of controversial things, and confrontation with Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he is no more looking forward to a membership of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) for his country. “I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy.

The statement from comedian-turned political leader of Ukraine comes while Russia’s special military operation in the country entered its 14th day. Potential NATO membership of Ukraine has been one of the biggest bones of contention between the former-Soviet neighbours and has been considered amongst prime reasons for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision on carrying out the ongoing military operations.

Giving a clear list of demands, Kremlin on March 7th had said that Russia was ready to halt its special military operations “in a moment” if Kyiv accepts them. Amongst these was the condition to “make amendments to the constitution” giving up “any aims to enter any bloc” and effectively resurrecting its non-aligned status. The other three conditions presented to Ukraine included cessation of its military actions, recognition of Crimea as a Russian territory, and finally the recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.

Even in the backdrop of Russian military build-up on the borders of Ukraine over the last year, in November 2021, Putin had even asked the US President Joe Biden for legal guarantees that the NATO wouldn’t expand eastwards into the Europe or deploy, as Putin said, “weapons systems that threaten us in close vicinity to Russian territory.” He had explained his apprehensions saying, “if some kind of strike systems appear on the territory of Ukraine, the flight time to Moscow will be 7-10 minutes, and five minutes in the case of a hypersonic weapon being deployed. Just imagine!” Issuing a specific warning with regard to Ukraine Putin had contended that, “creating such threats (in Ukraine) would be red lines for us. But I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope that a sense of common sense, responsibility for both our countries and the world community will prevail.”

Under President Viktor Yushchenko during 2005-10, Ukraine keenly aspired for a NATO membership. This changed in 2010 when the new President Viktor Yanukovych stated that there was “no question of Ukraine joining NATO.” In fact, during his trip to Moscow in the same year, he reemphasised that Ukraine would remain a “non-aligned state” as mentioned in its law titled “On the principles of domestic and foreign policy.” However, things again changed after Yanukovych was forced to flee Ukraine in the wake of Euromaidan protests in 2014. An interim government led by Arseniy Yatseniuk reenergised the country’s NATO aspirations which he manifested by “submitting a draft law to parliament cancelling non-bloc status.”

Following the elections later that year, the victorious coalition led by President Petro Poroshenko made country's membership of NATO as its prime foreign policy goal. By the end of 2014, Ukrainian parliament repealed the country’s non-aligned status, antagonising Russia and inviting its ire. In 2018, the parliament amended the constitution of Ukraine making the accession to NATO and the European Union (EU), country’s central goal and the main foreign policy objective. By 2021, Ukraine led by the current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had actively started seeking NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP).

Amidst the ongoing crisis, Zelenskyy has made repeated calls for intervention of the Western powers, going as far as submitting a formal application for an EU membership following an impassioned speech before its leaders. The Ukrainian President now seems to have read the lukewarm response to his pleas stating that he did not want to president of a country that "is begging something on its knees.” Hinting at a compromise and a dialogue, Zelenskyy also expressed his willingness to discuss with Russia the status of breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.