The Ukrainian president said NATO is his country’s best security guarantee but that the US is “not ready” for Ukraine to join. Zelenskyy also called out the US special envoy for “frequently” repeating Russian propaganda.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed his country’s partners should show the same resilience and strength when facing Russia that Ukraine does.

Zelenskyy, who spoke to a panel of European journalists after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, specifically addressed the US role in the negotiations with Moscow in an attempt to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Asked about whether the US would show the strength he mentioned, Zelenskyy said that he hoped they would.

“God bless they will,” he said.

Public support in the US

The Ukrainian leader expressed his gratitude for the fact that most of the American public supports Ukraine.

“We have had bipartisan support, and I cannot help but be grateful to America for all it has done,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris
© Yoan Valat/AP Photo/picture alliance

At the same time, Zelenskyy said the US is “under the influence of the Russian narrative.”

One recent example of a US official parroting Russia’s narrative was special adviser Steve Witkoff, who suggested Ukrainians living in the areas occupied by Russia want to live under Russian rule, even though the referendums held in the regions occupied by Russia have not been internationally acknowledged as legitimate.

“I believe that Witkoff indeed very frequently quotes Kremlin narratives,” the Ukrainian leader said, adding that Witkoff’s statements “do not bring us closer to peace” and “will weaken American pressure on Russia.”

NATO to benefit from a Ukraine membership

Speaking about his country’s future, Zelenskyy said he still believed NATO is the best security guarantee for Kyiv and that the military alliance would also benefit from the Ukrainian army’s wartime experience.

“NATO will be strengthened by Ukraine as Europe does not have an army that has gone through war in the amount that Russia has,” he said, while also acknowledging this would not happen without support from the US. “The problem is that the United States of America is not ready for this step.”

While in Paris, Zelenskyy is set to attend a security summit on Thursday with representatives from 31 countries to discuss long-term security guarantees and sustained military support for Ukraine.

At the end of the day, Zelenskyy said his country is still interested in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire but the Russians are not.

“Not only [Russians] are an aggressor, but they still put forward their preconditions,” he said. “That’s their style.”

Zelenskyy also mentioned the ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia, saying Ukraine’s number one goal was to secure the return of the children abducted by Russia since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, numbered by Ukrainian authorities at 20,000.

“This is the exchange, the return of our children that the Russians stole,” he said.