Zelensky Hints at Key Compromise on NATO Membership

As the war in Ukraine heats up on the ground, forecasts indicate a cooling-off period as word of a possible compromise with Russia makes the rounds internationally — starting with the Ukrainian president himself. This is largely because, as France24 reports, “In nod to Russia, Ukraine says no longer insisting on NATO membership.” The French news channel highlights Mr. Zelensky’s statement that he has “cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that … NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine,” citing an interview that aired Monday night on ABC News. As the Sun reported yesterday, a pledge that Ukraine will not join NATO is one of the conditions Vladimir Putin is said to be demanding for a ceasefire.In that interview — which preceded his landmark speech to Britain’s House of Commons yesterday — Mr. Zelensky also said that in reference to NATO membership, he does not want to be president of a “country which is begging [for] something on its knees.” France24 correctly notes that in recent years the military alliance’s expansion eastward to take in former Soviet bloc countries has infuriated the Kremlin, something of which it appears, against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky is increasingly aware. The Ukrainian news agency Interfax indicated that during the ABC interview, Mr. Zelensky said: “I think that we can discuss and find a compromise on the points about the temporarily occupied territories and unrecognized republics, which are not recognized by anyone except the Russian Federation.”Back-channel diplomacy may be one of the reasons that both the Pentagon and Whitehall so swiftly batted down a Polish proposal to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to America for delivery to Ukraine. CNN reported that the Pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said Tuesday night that Poland’s proposal was considered to be untenable, “just hours after Polish officials released a statement saying the government was ready to deploy all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to US Air Force’s Rammstein Air Base in Germany so they could then be provided to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.” Today, Sky News reports that the British transport secretary, Grant Shapps, also essentially confirmed that a deal with Poland to supply fighter jets to Ukraine is off the table. The U.K. is “not inadvertently doing something which escalates this war in a way that would be unacceptable to the entire world,” Mr. Shapps said, adding: It is important that NATO is “a defensive organization, which means we won’t be getting directly involved in the war.”Israel is also a player in the back-channel talks. In an Instagram post prior to addressing the British Parliament, Mr. Zelensky yesterday said he had “discussed ways to end war and violence” with Prime Minister Bennett. “Thank you for Israel’s mediation efforts to improve the negotiation process,” he wrote.Despite all the talk, the war rages on in its 14th day. Citing the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces, the Associated Press reports that defenses were being bolstered in key cities Wednesday as Russia’s advance faltered amid fierce resistance in some areas. Ukraine’s general staff said in a statement early Wednesday that it was building up defenses in cities in the north, south, and east, and that forces around Kiev are resisting the Russian offensive with unspecified strikes and “holding the line,” AP reports.Russia’s defense ministry says its forces thwarted a large-scale plot to attack separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine. In a televised statement Wednesday, according to AP, a spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said, “The special military operation of the Russian armed forces, carried out since February 24, preempted and thwarted a large-scale offensive by strike groups of Ukrainian troops on the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, which are not controlled by Kiev, in March of this year.”Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.The Ukrainian general staff said that in the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms, according to AP. And in the south, it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, though this has not been independently confirmed. Earlier the week the mayor claimed that Russian forces were retreating following what he said was an attempted attack on the city’s airport. The situation in Mariupol is dire. The humanitarian crisis worsens as the strategic Black Sea port city is encircled by Russian troops. The Guardian reported that Ukraine says Russia agreed to halt fighting along humanitarian corridors in some cities including Mariupol between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Further civilian evacuations were planned from the northeastern border city of Sumy Wednesday. While the precise number of casualties is difficult to confirm, thousands of people are believed to have been killed across Ukraine, both civilians and soldiers, in nearly two weeks of fighting.

Zelensky Hints at Key Compromise on NATO Membership

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