Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada admits freezing the conflict in exchange for NATO membership

Ukraine may consider freezing the conflict in exchange for security guarantees, including the country's accession to NATO. The deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada committee for national security, defense and intelligence, Yehor Chernev, said this in an interview with the La Repubblica newspaper on 21 November.

According to him, Ukraine aspires to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, and without a clear prospect of this, the country will not discuss its future.

"<...> Without any security guarantees, there is a risk that it will end up being just a pause in [the conflict]," the Ukrainian parliamentarian said.

In addition, Chernev also admitted that Ukraine may decide to freeze the conflict.

Earlier, on November 20, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said that freezing the conflict in Ukraine was not suitable for Russia. At the same time, he noted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready for contacts and negotiations.

On November 19, Peskov named a condition for a dialog with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump on the issue of peace in Ukraine. According to him, Trump's willingness to listen to Russia is a condition for dialog.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.