Kyiv, Feb 23 (UNI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday offered to resign if it brought peace to his war-torn country, and suggested he could step down in exchange for NATO membership for the small European nation..
Queried whether he was ready to quit if it ensures peace for Ukraine, Zelensky told a press conference here: “If [it guarantees] peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to resign, I am ready. I can exchange it for NATO.” CNN reported.
Zelensky earlier said his country’s army would need to be double its current size if NATO denies Ukraine membership to the alliance.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth termed as "unrealistic" any possibility of Kyiv joining NATO.
Zelensky’s comments came after his escalating spat with US President Donald Trump who accused Ukraine of starting the ongoing conflict with Russia. Trump later admitted “Russia attacked” but blamed his predecessor Joe Biden and Zelensky for not stopping the fighting sooner.
Zelensky then hit back, alleging the US president was in a “disinformation space”, prompting another outburst from Trump who described the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator.”
Meanwhile, Russia launched a record 267 drones at Ukraine, killing at least one person, in an unprecedented attack on the eve of the third anniversary of the war between the two nations, once part of the erstwhile USSR.
"Every day, our people are resisting aerial terror,” Zelensky said, calling the overnight attack “the largest since Iranian drones started hitting Ukrainian cities and villages.”
“We need to do our best to bring a lasting and just peace to Ukraine. This is possible in the unity of all partners – we need the strength of all of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of everyone who wants a lasting peace,” Zelensky said on X. UNI SSP