Zelenskyy says ready to quit as president in exchange for Ukraine’s NATO membership

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday (February 23, 2025) he would “immediately” quit as Ukraine’s president in exchange for the country gaining NATO membership.

“If there is peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I am ready. … I can exchange it for NATO,” Mr. Zelenskyy told a press conference in Kyiv, adding he would depart “immediately” if necessary.

Mr. Zelenskyy further said that he and U.S. president Donald Trump should meet to discuss an accord granting Washington access to Ukrainian natural resources before any meeting between Mr. Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

To make an agreement on Ukrainian security concerns, “we need to meet and talk about it. I think that this meeting should be fair, which means before Trump meets Putin,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President added that only a real authoritarian would be offended by Mr. Trump’s recent characterisation of him as an illegitimate “dictator”.

“I certainly would not describe the words Trump used as a compliment. One would be offended by the word dictator if he was a dictator. I’m not. I’m the legally elected president” he said.