Ukraine will not sacrifice territories for NATO membership but “is ready to exchange Belgorod” – Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is not ready to sacrifice its territories for the sake of NATO membership but "is ready to exchange Belgorod."

He stated this on August 20 during a press conference with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen.

In this way, the head of state answered the Ukrainian journalist's question of whether Ukraine is ready to sacrifice part of its territory for peace and membership in the Alliance, particularly due to possible pressure from Western partners.

"Territory exchange? Ready to exchange Belgorod for our membership in NATO," the president of Ukraine commented ironically.

In her turn, Frederiksen emphasized that the choice of whether to go to peace talks is entirely up to Ukraine.

"I can answer very clearly – the question about the future of Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainians. And it is for Ukraine to decide when it is ready to sit down for negotiations," she said.

 

For reference:

The first planes from Denmark will arrive in Ukraine before the New Year.

It has already been reported that Denmark and the Netherlands will give Ukraine F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands after training Ukrainian pilots and engineers.