Ukraine’s Zelenskyy sees some allies warm to NATO membership bid

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president is hoping allies will take a more positive stance on his so-called “victory plan” after the U.S. election , but concedes that its key demand — an invitation to join NATO — is not welcome by some major Western partners, in particular Germany.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was also likely looking at the postelection scenario in the U.S. to assess the possibility of cease-fire talks with Ukraine. He assessed that if partial cease-fire deals could be reached over attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping routes, it would signal the end of the “hot phase” of the war.

Zelenskyy spoke to journalists on Monday and his comments were embargoed until Tuesday.

He said the U.S. is analyzing his plan, but he doesn’t expect a meaningful response until after the Nov. 5 election.

“They said, yes, we’ve started working on the Victory Plan, they want to analyze everything, and so on. But it’s very clear to me that all the major partners, especially during the election period, will be afraid of Russia’s reaction,” he said. “Because they understand that with this package, we can destroy them.”

On NATO, Zelenskyy said France, Britain and Italy have shown signs of support. Germany has reservations, however, and Zelenskyy believes only a U.S. green light will convince Berlin to accept the idea.

“But the fact is that the German side is skeptical about our NATO membership — that’s a fact. I believe their stance is softer than it was before — this is also a fact.

“But when it comes to the invitation I’m talking about now, they are afraid of ... Russia’s reaction,” he said.

“I believe that their position will be influenced by a bigger alliance. A bigger alliance in supporting us — a confident “Yes” from the United States.”

Many significant issues will hinge on decisions taken following the fraught election period, the president said.

“After the elections, we hope for a more positive reaction from the U.S. — not because of a change in the president, but because the focus of the United States is now on the elections, and I believe that any sharp statements from the U.S. today might be inappropriate or carry risks. I think they don’t want unnecessary risks,” he said.

Asked if he faced pressure from allies to end the war, Zelenskyy joked, saying, “Over the years, people’s overall blood pressure rises.”

He dismissed reports of a possible cease-fire scenario in which Ukraine exchanged occupied territories for NATO membership.

“We are not discussing this. But I think that these media leaks are not accidental. Perhaps some partners may have such thoughts. They don’t communicate this directly with me, but through the media, it’s clear they’re testing its reception.”

He said the end of the “hot phase” of the war would commence if a deal could be reached with Russia to halt attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea ports and shipping routes. In this case, attacks on military targets would continue as well as front-line fighting, he said.

He said he plans to convince countries of the Global South to embrace Ukraine’s plan as another way to push Moscow to agree to Kyiv’s terms.

Zelenskyy said his country is not pursuing nuclear weapons to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We are not asking to be given or returned nuclear weapons,” he said. “My position is very clear. We gave them up, but we got nothing in return. And we only received a full-scale war and many casualties, so today we have only one way out. That’s why we need NATO, because we don’t have the weapons that can stop Putin.”

乌克兰基辅（美联社）——乌克兰总统希望美国大选后，盟友们能对他的所谓“胜利计划”采取更积极的态度，但他承认，该计划的关键要求——加入北约的邀请——并不受一些主要西方伙伴的欢迎，尤其是德国。

泽连斯基表示，俄罗斯可能也在关注美国大选后的局势，以评估与乌克兰举行停火谈判的可能性。他认为，如果能够就袭击能源基础设施和黑海航道达成部分停火协议，这将标志着战争“热战阶段”的结束。

泽连斯基周一接受了记者的采访，他的讲话内容被禁止公开，直到周二才能发布。

他说，美国正在分析他的计划，但他预计在11月5日大选之后才会得到有意义的回应。

“他们说，是的，我们已经开始着手制定‘胜利计划’，他们想分析所有内容等等。但我很清楚，所有主要伙伴，尤其是在选举期间，都会害怕俄罗斯的反应，”他说。“因为他们明白，有了这套方案，我们就能摧毁他们。”

关于北约，泽连斯基表示，法国、英国和意大利都已表示支持。然而，德国对此仍有保留意见，泽连斯基认为，只有美国点头才能说服柏林接受这一想法。

“但事实是，德国方面对我们加入北约持怀疑态度——这是事实。我相信他们的立场比以前软化了——这也是事实。”

“但就我目前所说的邀请而言，他们害怕……俄罗斯的反应，”他说。

“我相信，他们的立场会受到更大联盟的影响。一个更大的联盟来支持我们——美国自信地投下‘同意’票。”

总统表示，许多重大问题将取决于在充满变数的选举期结束后所做出的决定。

“我们希望大选之后美国方面能有更积极的反应——这并非因为总统换届，而是因为美国的重心现在放在大选上，我认为美国现在发表任何强硬言论都可能不恰当或存在风险。我想他们不想冒不必要的风险，”他说。

当被问及是否面临来自盟友要求结束战争的压力时，泽连斯基开玩笑说：“多年来，人们的整体血压都在上升。”

他驳斥了有关乌克兰可能以被占领土换取北约成员资格的停火方案的报道。

“我们不讨论此事。但我认为这些媒体泄露并非偶然。或许有些合作伙伴有这样的想法。他们没有直接跟我沟通，但通过媒体，很明显他们在试探舆论反应。”

他表示，如果能与俄罗斯达成协议，停止对能源基础设施、黑海港口和航道的袭击，战争的“热阶段”就会结束。他还说，在这种情况下，对军事目标的袭击以及前线战斗仍将继续。

他表示，他计划说服全球南方国家接受乌克兰的计划，以此作为迫使莫斯科同意基辅条件的另一种方式。

泽连斯基表示，他的国家发展核武器并非为了威慑俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京。

“我们并非要求获得或归还核武器，”他说。“我的立场非常明确。我们放弃了核武器，却一无所获。我们得到的只有一场全面战争和大量伤亡，所以如今我们只有一条出路。这就是为什么我们需要北约，因为我们没有能够阻止普京的武器。”