Zelensky says NATO membership could end 'hot' war with Russia

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he might be willing to cede Russian-occupied portions of Ukraine to Russia in exchange for NATO membership for the rest of Ukraine.

Offering NATO membership to Ukraine could end the war's "hot phase" if NATO recognized Ukraine's internationally established borders, Zelensky told Sky News in an interview Friday.

The membership would have to include Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine to give Ukrainian officials more leverage to negotiate a cease-fire and eventually end to the war using diplomacy, Zelensky said.

"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control," Zelensky told Sky News.

Zelensky suggested Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine would remain under Russian control while negotiating a "diplomatic way" to end the war begun when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

A cease-fire would be required to stop Russia from taking more Ukrainian territory with NATO helping protect the unoccupied areas of Ukraine, Zelensky said.

Without NATO protection, Zelensky suggested Putin and Russian forces "will come back" to capture more Ukrainian territory.

There is no formal offer from NATO to make Ukraine a member state, though.

"Ukraine has never considered such a proposal because no one has officially offered it to us," Zelensky said.

Zelensky told Sky News he wants to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to ensure the United States remains Ukraine's "biggest supporter."

"I want to work with him directly because there are different voices from people around him," Zelensky said. "That's why we need not to [let] anybody around to destroy our communication."

Zelensky told Sky News he and Trump met in September when Zelensky was in New York City, and said they had a "warm, good, constructive" talk and they need to prepare for more meetings.

They also spoke by phone after Trump was elected president in November.

Zelensky previously said he would not cede any territory to Russia and Ukraine could not be stopped from becoming the newest member of NATO.

Ukrainian membership in NATO requires a unanimous vote of all 32 member states, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte earlier this week said Ukraine does not have a strong position from which to negotiate an end to the war.

Trump has said he intends to end the war in Ukraine after taking office in January.