Ukraine Can't Join NATO, President Zelensky Says Look For New Interaction Formats And Guarantees Of Protection

Presiden Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. (Wikimedia Commons / Ing.Mgr.Jozef Kotulič)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would seek new forms of interaction, including seeking guarantees of protection, following his admission that Ukraine could not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Ukraine's long wait to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, as well as three weeks at war with Russia 'ends bitterly' with President Volodymyr Zelensky admitting his country cannot join the pact.

"It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand that. We have heard for years about the door allegedly opening, but we have heard that it cannot enter it," quoted from Ukrinform March 16.

"That's true. It has to be admitted. I'm glad our people are starting to understand and rely on themselves and on partners who help us. Ukraine does not currently claim the trigger for Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. We understand that we are not in the Alliance."

President Zelensky further stressed, Ukraine is doing everything to get the planes, air defense systems.

"We stress the need for new interaction formats, new resolve. If we can't enter the open doors, we have to work with communities that will help us, protect us. And we want to have reliable guarantees that will work for us, which means they will too work for you," said President Zelensky.

President Zelensky stated, Russia's invasion of Ukraine completely destroyed everything that is the basis of security on Ukrainian territory and international security in general.

In addition, President Zelensky noted that the most powerful security alliance, NATO, has questioned its credibility. He said some Alliance members were simply 'hypnotized' by the Russian aggression, worried about a possible start of a Third World War if they implemented a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

"We say that our skies need to be protected in the same way as Alliance skies, but we understand that there is always a 'but'. What would NATO's response to the Allies in Eastern Europe be if they had already sought cover? If God forbid, Russian missiles and Russian aircraft arrived on their territory? Russia has attacked our Lviv region. Missile strike 20 kilometers from the NATO border. Russian drone has crashed on Alliance territory," Zelensky added.

He also said Ukrainian authorities had offered international partners a way to protect Ukrainian airspace and their own people.

As previously reported, Ukraine's joining with NATO and the deployment of the pact's missiles in Eastern Europe has become Moscow's concerns that have sparked a debate with Kyiv. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but has pledged since 2008, to be given the opportunity to join, a move that would bring the US-led alliance to Russia's borders.