Zelenskyy ready to quit presidency for Ukraine's NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Feb 23 that he is ready to step down if his country is admitted to the NATO military alliance.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion, Zelenskyy said, "If there is peace for Ukraine, if you need me to leave my post, I am ready. I can exchange it for NATO." He also said that he would step aside 'immediately' if required.

Zelenskyy, who is facing fierce criticism from the Trump administration, implored the United States to understand Ukraine's position and provide strong security guarantees to support its defense against Russia's invasion.

"I want very much from Trump understanding of each other," he said, adding that "security guarantees" from the US president were "much needed".

He further said that he would like to meet Donald Trump before the US president meets his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this week, Trump started a war of words with Kyiv seemingly accusing Ukraine of initiating the war, while calling Zelenskyy a "dictator" as he had cancelled an election due to the conflict.

Responding to his accusations, Zelenskyy said he was not "offended" and was ready to test his popularity in elections once martial law ends in Ukraine.

"One would be offended by the word 'dictator,' if he was a dictator," Zelenskyy said during the press conference.
Trump has asked both Putin and Zelenskyy to "get together" and find a way to end the war, despite Ukraine being excluded from recent negotiations.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has been insisting on NATO membership as part of any settlement to end the war, but the Washington-led alliance has shown reluctance to commit.

Following Russia’s swiftest advances in Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, Donald Trump signaled his intent to mediate a peace deal, citing the heavy loss of lives in the ongoing war.

Irked by recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh where Ukrainian and European leaders were not invited, Zelenskyy dismissed the outcome of this first high-level meeting in three years, asserting that there would be "no talks behind Kyiv's back."