War Zelenskyy offers to step down in exchange for peace and Ukraine’s Nato membership - "If it brings peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I’m ready."

President’s comment comes a day before third anniversary of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine​

© Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Christopher Miller in Kyiv an hour ago

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to step down as Ukraine’s president if it would secure lasting peace for his country.

“If it brings peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I’m ready. I can exchange it for Nato [membership],” Zelenskyy told reporters at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday. “If such conditions exist [I will step down] immediately.”

Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine on Monday, Zelenskyy also said he wanted US President Donald Trump to be a close partner to Ukraine and not just a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.

US and Russia officials last week agreed during their first high-level talks in Riyadh to “lay the groundwork for future co-operation” on ending the war and a normalisation of relations.

“I really want it to be more than just mediation [from Trump] . . . that’s not enough,” Zelenskyy said.

This is a developing story

Source (Archive)

 

[TowinKarz]

How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?

You can't join NATO if you are currently at war.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

just stepping down wouldn't be enough. execution would be a more preferable end.

 

[TooManyKittens]

Isn't Nato membership why Russia claims it was right to do this? Offering to step down in exchange for that seems like a giant fuck you ininsidt on a no win situation until my country is nothing but Russian owned rubble

 

[VargReallyDidNothingWrong]

“If it brings peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I’m ready. I can exchange it for Nato [membership],”

The Art of the Deal

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

Performative dross, a useless gesture by a pathetic man.

 

[TowinKarz]

Performative dross, a useless gesture by a pathetic man.

He's also nakedly planning his exit strategy now that no more US checks are coming.

I didn't want to step down from the fight against tyranny and retire to Monaco with a truckload of cash, but, the balloon doggies, er, international community demanded it!

 

[Dagoth AMOGUS]

I read that title, Nato ukraine, as Naruto and it didn’t seem all that out of place: both are about endless stupid fighting.

 

[Schwarzwald]

"Unrealistic terms that I know won't be agreed to? Oh, shoot! Guess I'm just gonna have to hold on to power and keep sending thousands of young men into the meat grinder indefinitely, teehee."

 

[McMitch]

just stepping down wouldn't be enough. execution would be a more preferable end.

At the very least he should return the money he stole that was supposed to go to keeping his citizens alive.

 

[Penis Drager 2.0]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Zelensky's continued leadership of Ukraine is completely irrelevant to this whole situation.
Was him leaving or remaining in power ever once even a part of any negotiations RE: the war?

 

[Oulun]

Jewish faggot still thinks it's all about him, even here at the end.

 

[One Winged Pear Farmer]

Trump calls him a dictator and he offers to step down less than a week later. Goddamn they really do respond to light bullying like a 6th grade school girl

 

[Corpun]

He should have tried these stunts 2+ years ago. Go ahead and get lynched by Banderites or some other Hohol faction of degenerates you grifting faggot. You've learned nothing from 30+ years of American treatment of 'allies'.

 

[Burd Turglar]

I can't wait for his mysterious death after he fucks off with all my tax dollars.

 

[Karen of Human Resources]

Isn't Nato membership why Russia claims it was right to do this? Offering to step down in exchange for that seems like a giant fuck you ininsidt on a no win situation until my country is nothing but Russian owned rubble

There is a claim, that may have some truth in it, that there was a promise dating back to Gorbachev that former Warsaw Pact countries would not be inducted into NATO. Obviously, if that happened the Russians would take that badly. Who knows if that conversation did happen, but the idea itself isn't unthinkable.

That said, this seems very unlikely a motivation for invading Ukraine. Much like "2027 Taiwan Invasion", the purported year China will be at the peak of their manpower and best fit to attack, Russia has been in a much better position to do this years ago. If NATO was as big a factor, they'd potentially have attacked every time one of their neighbours tried to join.

Perhaps more relevant in this case is that East Ukraine has a relatively high proportion of ethnic Russians thanks to plantation efforts decades, or even centuries ago in the case of Crimea. We do tend to forget that people within these areas have previously held referendums with a Yes result to become one with Russia, much to the displeasure of Kyiv understandably. The land does form part of a historic Ukranian nation, but the people that now occupy not insignificant parts of it have said themselves that the majority of them are not.

I think this has much more to do with the economic use of Crimea, as well as leaning into the "Return to Empire" and unifying Russian speakers, something apparently very much in line with Putin's own personal sentiments.

NATO might be something of a thorn, but if it was the main motivator Putin would have retaliated much sooner.

 

[Clotso Coof]

This prancing faggot knows damn well Ukraine isn't getting NATO membership. Fuck off.

Ukraine needs to decide how many more of their men they're going to get killed in a losing war. I don't really give a shit as long as my tax money doesn't go into it.

 

[obsdj]

At the very least he should return the money he stole that was supposed to go to keeping his citizens alive.

Why do you think he's offering to step down? He bled us dry for all the gibs he could squeeze out of President Silver Alert, so now he can just retire to wherever Eastern European faggot dictators retire to with his nation-sized wad of cash.

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

Zigger cope is intense in this thread.

Putnigger made NATO stronger, EU increase in military, EU independence from vatnig resources, and for what? A few villagers where he can kidnap kids for his pedophile kabal?

 

[merrybrandybuck]

Isn't Nato membership why Russia claims it was right to do this? Offering to step down in exchange for that seems like a giant fuck you ininsidt on a no win situation until my country is nothing but Russian owned rubble

He knows Nato is off the table not just because of Trump but because of Hungary and a couple others as well. All a grand performance for the low information viewer.