Kyiv March 22 (Agency) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he was prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine that it will not to seek NATO membership in exchange for an immediate cease-fire, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security, Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy said “His offer is a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to NATO, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn’t want further NATO expansion,” . Zelenskyy also repeated his call for holding direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that unless he meets with Putin in person, it is impossible to understand what exactly does Russia want with regards to Ukraine. Zelensky also said that he was ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region held by Russian-backed separatists after a cease-fire and steps taken towards providing security guarantees for Ukraine.