Zelenskyi compares Russian authorities’ attitude to NATO with outdated childhood fear

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi compared the Russian government's attitude to NATO to an outdated childhood fear that someone terrible would come out of the closet and scare.

Interfax-Ukraine informed about this, UP reports.

Details: When asked why the NATO issue had always provoked a sharp response from the Russian authorities, Zelenskyi drew a parallel with childhood and the closet: "In my opinion, it's like constantly talking about the old fear from childhood that someone terrible will come out of the closet at night and scare us. But there's no one in the closet. It's just a closet."

"There is no doubt that the topic of our active value integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic community is of great concern to Russians. By the way, this seems like an obsession. But objectively, all the formats of training that take place with the participation of our partners haven't just been studied today or yesterday. For example, the Sea Breeze exercises have been held since 1997. Is it possible to use the term 'military development' in this regard?

Because it's about Ukraine's historical choice. Ukraine, like any sovereign state, independently chooses how to ensure the realization of its own national interests. Especially in terms of security. There's no doubt about it. Maybe someone is used to something different that may have been before. But I'll repeat the key thing: it's about the state's subjectivity, and Ukraine is definitely a subject of global politics, is determined by a clear understanding of its interests and needs and an active position to defend these interests," Zelenskyi said.

To recap, on June 30, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin declared that he was disturbed by "the beginning of military development of the Ukrainian territory" by foreigners.