Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday announced that he would ‘immediately’ step down as Ukraine President if it meant securing Nato membership for the country.Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, “If there is peace for Ukraine, if you really 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.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy urged United States President Donald Trump to understand Ukraine’s position and provide concrete security guarantees to support its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Zelenskyy also said he wanted to see Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
“I want very much from Trump understanding of each other,” the Ukrainian President told reporters, adding, “Security guarantees from the US are much needed”, according to news agency Reuters.
Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-blown aggression in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said that his country and the Trump administration were nearer to an agreement on US access to Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for security assistance.
After Russian forces made their fastest advances in Ukraine last year since the 2022 invasion, Donald Trump expressed his intent to broker a peace deal, citing the heavy loss of life in the ongoing conflict.
Trump and Zelenskyy have lashed out at each other publicly after the US President accused his Ukrainian counterpart of starting the war with Russia. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in a “disinformation bubble”.
Zelenskyy has also dismissed the outcome of recent US-Russia talks in Riyadh, where both nations agreed to initiate joint efforts toward peace negotiations. Zelenskyy firmly said that there would be “no talks behind Kyiv’s back”.