President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a press conference in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Volodymyr Zelensky is willing to step down as president of the country if Ukraine becomes a member of the Western military alliance NATO. He said this at a press conference on Sunday. His interest came to light after US President Donald Trump called Zelensky a “dictator”.
Zelensky said at the press conference, “If you ask me to step down from this chair, I am ready to do so. And I can do it in exchange for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” Regarding Trump’s comments, he said, “I was not upset (by his comments), but an autocrat would be upset.”
Volodymyr Zelensky was democratically elected as the president of Ukraine in 2019. Martial law was imposed in Ukraine after the Russian operation began in February 2022. The election was canceled. Zelensky said that he is currently focusing on Ukraine’s security. Being president for a decade is not his ‘dream’.
Since taking office as US president, Trump has started various activities to stop the war in Ukraine. Recently, high-ranking officials of his administration met with Russia in Saudi Arabia. However, Ukraine was not included in those discussions. Trump has made various offensive remarks about the country’s President Zelensky.
In such a situation, leaders of various countries, including the European Union, are scheduled to visit the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Monday. There, they will talk about supporting Ukraine and ensuring the country’s security. Zelensky said that the issue of Ukraine’s accession to NATO will be raised in those discussions. However, he does not know how far these discussions will go.
At a press conference regarding Donald Trump, Zelensky said that he wants to see Trump as a partner in Ukraine. He wants the US president to play a bigger role than a mediator between Kiev and Moscow. Zelensky said, “I really want it to be more than mediation… It’s not enough.”
Trump recently proposed a mineral deal with Ukraine. Under the deal, Kiev would supply Ukraine’s rare mineral resources to the United States. When asked about it at a press conference, Zelensky said, “We have made progress on this. We are ready to give (the mineral resources).” However, he wants assurances from the United States that Russia will stop the war before the deal.
