Only the leaders of these member states can comment on Ukraine's membership in NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes. At a press conference in Odesa on the occasion of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's visit, he commented on US Special Representative Steve Witkoff's comments about discussions with Putin about a ban on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.
Regarding the fact that the issue of ‘5 territories’ was discussed with Putin: Crimea and four partially occupied regions, the President said that ‘all the territories belong to the unitary state of Ukraine. And only the people of Ukraine can speak about the territory of Ukraine.
‘For us, these are red lines - to recognise the temporarily occupied territories as Russian. Therefore, the relevant representatives discuss issues outside their competence,’ the president said.
Mark Rutte refused to comment on the progress of the US-Russia talks at the ‘intermediate stages’.