Ukraine-Russia is stepping into its fifth week of the invasion; President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that his government was ‘careful’ considering a Russian discussion of Ukrainian neutrality and was prepared to hold discussions on the same.
The President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, said on Sunday that during an interaction with several independent Russian news organizations, was prepared to negotiate on adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia.
While Kremlin constantly called for Kyiv’s neutrality, suggesting that this could help in ending the Russian invasion, the proposal had been rejected earlier. Previously this month, Ukraine had said that only Kyiv could create a system that would be acceptable to its citizens.
In mid-March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had suggested that parts of Ukraine’s compromise deal were close to an agreement, adding that neutrality was being discussed.
Earlier, Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukraine would no longer insist on NATO membership. Ukrainian voters should put these issues in a referendum after the Russian military leaves the nation on Sunday.
He said that they are desperate for peace & want it now. It is both an opportunity and a requirement for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. This is not too bad. He said, Let’s wait and watch what happens.
In other words, the neutral status would ban Ukraine from interfering in the military conflict of other nations.
While any EU nation has the right to apply for membership to NATO, Russia has sought to discourage Ukraine from its long-stated intention of eventually joining NATO.
Although, member nations have stated that Ukraine’s membership is a long shot at best. It should be noted that if Ukraine became a member, NATO would commit to helping it in defending itself against any future attack.
At the same time, Russia denies Western accusations that it is attempting to influence Ukraine, reiterating its desire for Ukraine to serve as a sort of ‘buffer’ state. Before this month, the Kremlin suggested that Sweden and Austria could serve as models of neutrality for Ukraine, which Kyiv rejected.