Zelensky admits Donbass very hard to return, doubts NATO membership

It will be difficult for Ukraine to return the Donbass because those living in the region do not want that to happen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with students in Mykolaiv (Nikolaev).

After ten years of hostilities in the region and life in the Russian environment, the population of Donbass would not want to return to Kyiv's rule, the Ukrainian President said. He also admitted that Ukraine would "return its territories before it could return those people.”

"And even now, when Russia is fighting against us, toughest separatists (the Ukrainian authorities refer to Donbass residents as separatists — ed.) keep standing. The Russians are fleeing, but they keep standing there. That means something,” Zelensky said.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Ukraine had no intention to give up on its territories for the sake of NATO membership. He also noted that he was disappointed with the tempo of arms supplies from Western countries.

Zelensky doubts Ukraine could ever join NATO

Volodymyr Zelensky doubts that Ukraine would ever join NATO.

"We don't know exactly how it will be. (…) Nobody can tell you for sure whether we are going to be at NATO or not. We want to, but…” the politician said at a meeting with students during a trip to Mykolaiv.

The Ukrainian leader emphasised that the republic was moving towards NATO standards and the authorities must do everything to ensure that "national security is maintained at the highest level.”