President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that NATO membership would offer Ukraine protection from a fresh Russian offensive, The Washington Post reports, citing an interview with the head of state.
Zelensky disagreed with U.S. President Joseph Biden’s comment that Ukraine still needs to “address corruption issues” before it can be considered for membership in a military alliance. “It’s very popular to accuse Ukraine of corruption, and it’s not that I hold these views only since I became president, but I’ve always felt offended by this. Because you know what? No country is free of corruption,” Zelensky said in an interview with The Washington Post and four other media outlets on Aug. 19.
The Washington Post recalled that asked for a “yes or no” about Ukraine’s NATO candidacy in June, Biden said, “School’s out.”
“He added that Kyiv still needed to address corruption issues and meet other criteria,” according to the material.
“Zelensky has said being a NATO nation would offer Ukraine protection from a fresh Russian offensive. Countries in the alliance have a mutual-defense pact, meaning that if one nation is attacked, the others will join in the response. But admitting Ukraine risks provoking Moscow – President Vladimir Putin has called it ‘red line,’ and he raised the issue in his June summit with Biden in Geneva,” The Washington Post said.
Zelensky cautioned that the buildup remains, as Russia left behind some equipment near the border and could rapidly ramp up its troop presence there “at any given moment.”
According to the President, the ambiguity over Ukraine’s NATO admittance is “a signal to other countries that you guys are not welcome here and Russia is just around the corner, increasing its clout.”
