Zelensky suggests ending ‘hot phase’ of war in exchange for NATO membership without occupied territories

To end the “hot phase of the war,” NATO would have to offer membership to Ukrainian territory under government control, with the invitation recognizing the country’s internationally recognized borders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News

“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should quickly take under NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do first, and then Ukraine can get back the other parts of its territory in a diplomatic way,” Zelensky said during the interview, which was published on Nov. 29.

According to the president, Kyiv has never considered such a proposal, since “no one has ever offered that to us officially.”

Donald Trump’s election has intensified uncertainty around Ukraine’s war effort. He criticized U.S. military support provided to Ukraine by Joe Biden’s administration. Some reports also indicate this would entail forcing Ukraine to cede territory and at least temporarily give up on its NATO accession plans.

Zelensky’s latest remarks are somewhat at odds with his previous statements. He said that the signals of Ukraine’s accession to NATO in parts is “nonsense,” and Ukraine “will never exchange any status for any of our territories.”

The president’s comments to Sky News imply that territories currently occupied by Russia would not fall under the “NATO umbrella” in this scenario.

Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are partially controlled by Russian troops. Russia claims to have annexed the whole territory of those regions in 2022 despite not controlling two regional capitals — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow also controls all of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

Throughout 2024, Ukraine has faced a challenging situation in its defense of the front line, particularly in Donetsk Oblast, where Russia has consistently concentrated its offensive potential.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 but has yet to receive a formal invitation.

Despite high expectations in Kyiv, the last two allied summits brought only new steps toward deepening Ukraine-NATO cooperation and a declaration that the country’s membership path is “irreversible.”