Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his willingness to step down as president if it means Ukraine will be admitted to the NATO military alliance.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday, Zelensky stated, “If there is peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I am ready. … I can exchange it for NATO.”
Zelensky’s statement comes amid tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the Ukrainian leader. Trump has referred to Zelensky as a “dictator” and falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war. However, Zelensky remains unfazed, saying, “One would be offended by the word ‘dictator’ if he were a dictator.”
Despite the criticism, Zelensky is eager to meet with Trump and has called for a meeting before Trump’s scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said he was not “offended” by Trump’s comments and was ready to test his popularity in elections once martial law ends in Ukraine.
“One would be offended by the word ‘dictator,’ if he was a dictator,” Zelensky told journalists.
“I very much want from Trump an understanding of each other,” he said, adding that “security guarantees” from the US president were “much needed”.
