Zelensky discusses NATO membership and nuclear options with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday during his visit to Brussels that he spoke with former U.S. President Donald Trump about Ukraine's prospects of joining NATO. Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv faces two options: joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or acquiring nuclear weapons.
Zelensky noted that he informed Trump that Ukraine prefers membership in international alliances over possessing nuclear weapons, which it relinquished in 1994 by signing the Budapest Memorandum.
NATO as Ukraine's strategic goal
The President of Ukraine added that, from his country's perspective, NATO is the most effective alliance. As he pointed out, "NATO countries today are not at war. NATO countries are not fighting. In NATO countries, people are still alive. Thank God. That is why we choose NATO, not nuclear weapons." According to Zelensky, Trump responded that "he has a just argument."
Volodymyr Zelensky is currently in Brussels, where he is participating in a meeting of European Union country leaders.
Leaders on Zelensky's plan
After meeting with 27 leaders at the EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 18 member country leaders discussed his plan for victory in the war with Russia. He reported that most of them declared full support for Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present his plan, whose first point is inviting Ukraine to NATO.
He added that, beyond five points, the plan includes annexes about long-range missiles, which he addressed in bilateral talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
"This does not mean that they are special. I treat all allies equally, and I am grateful for their support. (...) However, the decisions of these countries will have a significant impact on whether we will be strengthened with long-range weapons or not," he stated.
