President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his readiness to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees for the country.
Zelensky told in an interview with a Ukrainian television channel on Monday saying that the move was as a compromise for all parties.
This includes for Western countries that do not know what to do with Ukraine regarding NATO, for Ukraine that wants security guarantees and for Russia that does not want NATO to continue to expand wider.
He also reiterated his request to talk directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin because without meeting the leader, it is difficult to understand whether Moscow wants to stop the war.
In addition, Zelensky also said that they would be ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region held by Russian-backed separatists after the ceasefire as well as steps towards providing security guarantees.
He added that any compromise agreed with Russia to end the war would have to be voted on by the Ukrainian people in a referendum.
Issues that could be raised in any referendum could involve territories occupied by the Russian military, including Crimea or security guarantees offered to Ukraine by the state in exchange for NATO membership, he said.
