Zelensky on security guarantees: NATO is the most powerful option for Ukraine

Ukraine must present a vision of a military component that will become the core of security guarantees.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during his year-end press conference, Ukrinform reports.

"Security guarantees. The process is going on. A little slower than I expected. We met today with our team about security guarantees, and how to approach this decision. A lot depends on us. We often blame our partners, but we have to be fair, a lot depends on us too. On the platform of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, I will say without details, we must present our vision of the military component to our partners, and this is a very serious core for security guarantees. Because all of this will be around this security element. We have not yet presented it," Zelensky said.

Commenting on Ukraine joining NATO, he noted that this is the most powerful option for Ukraine, however, the country is not invited to NATO. He added that signals of partial participation cannot be taken seriously.

"We have never received such an offer. Never from any of our partners. It is difficult to imagine how it can be. If a person from Moscow says that the goals of the SVO [special military operation] remain unchanged, it is a signal that this person does not want peace. [...] Let's imagine what will happen if part of Ukraine is in NATO. I think these are high risks for us. I am sure that if part of Ukraine is in NATO, the question will be whether NATO countries will fight for a part of Ukrainian territory that has a certain status in NATO. Not completely, but some kind of status. Because we do not recognize Russian-occupied territories [as being part of Russia]. This will show that we are not quite in NATO. That is, part of our country has some kind of status in the security alliance, and we don't recognize another part of it as Russian," Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine was discussing security guarantees with the United Kingdom, which include a maritime component.

The Telegraph reported earlier that Britain would use its naval expertise to help Ukraine control the Black Sea as part of a 10-year security pact to be signed in the coming weeks.