Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, has said his country should accept that it may not become a member of the US-led NATO military alliance, Al Jazeera reported.
Ukraine’s alliance with NATO is a key Russian concern that it used to justify its invasion.
“Ukraine is not a member of NATO… We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognised,” Al Jazeera quoted Mr Zelenskyy as telling the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force on Tuesday.
“I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this and rely on themselves and the partners who are helping us,” Mr Zelenskyy said, while renewing his appeal for a no-fly zone to protect Ukraine from Russian air raids.
However, Russia and Ukraine have continued talks and according to local media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he sees “some hope” for reaching a compromise in the negotiations.
Lavrov told the RBK newspaper that he believed there were already positions upon which the sides “are close to agreement.”
While the talks are difficult, “there is some hope of reaching a compromise.”
Mr Lavrov said Ukraine’s political and military neutrality in exchange for security guarantees from Moscow was now being “seriously discussed.”
“The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
While the talks and the war continue, Joe Biden, U.S. president, on Tuesday signed an annual spending bill that contains $13.6 billion in humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.
“I just signed the Bipartisan Government Funding Bill into law – keeping the government open and providing a historic $13.6 billion in funding to Ukraine,” Mr Biden wrote on Twitter.
The U.S. has continued to support Ukraine in nearly three weeks of Russia’s invasion, providing aid and also slamming weighty sanctions on Russia in a bid to deter President Putin.
The sanctions on Russia, however, have failed to deter Mr Putin as the Russian military have continued their ‘special operation’ in Ukraine despite ongoing talks between both countries.
Nearly three weeks into the invasion, air raids continue to hit several cities in Ukraine and about three million people have fled the war torn country to neighbouring countries in search of safety.
