OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:53 AM – Sunday, February 23, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he is willing to resign from the presidency in exchange for peace or a NATO membership.
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“Yes, I am happy, if it is for the peace of Ukraine,” Zelensky stated, responding to whether he would remove himself from power in exchange for peace.
“Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership, if such conditions exist, immediately, so we don’t have lengthy discussions. I’m focusing on Ukraine’s security today, not in 20 years. And I don’t intend to stay in power for decades,” he continued.
President Donald Trump has been a harsh critic of Zelensky as his administration ramps up peace talks, characterizing the Ukrainian president as a “dictator without elections,” while requesting compensation for the billions in military aid the Biden administration provided.
“Europe has given $100 billion. The United States has given $350 billion because we had a stupid, incompetent president and administration,” Trump stated at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday.
Trump went on to say that his administration is “pretty close” to a deal with Ukraine, adding that he wants Kyiv “to give us something for all of the money that we put up.”
“So, we’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” he added. “We’re going to get our money back because it’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky stated that the funds the Biden administration provided were “grants” rather than a loan.
“A grant is not a debt. I don’t even recognize the $100 billion as a debt, and we won’t accept it as such,” he stated. “I won’t sign something that ten generations of Ukrainians will have to repay.”
“If Trump is ready to sign a new agreement where we repay money for new assistance, we are prepared for that,” he added.
Zelensky also responded to Trump characterizing him as a dictator, stating “I wouldn’t exactly call Trump’s words a compliment—that’s putting it mildly. But why take offense? The only person who would be offended by being called a dictator is someone who actually is one.”
Additionally, United States officials and Russian diplomats have recently held peace talks in Saudi Arabia without a Ukrainian representative president, with both sides agreeing to restore their embassies and hold more peace talks.
Both Russian officials and U.S. officials have come out and stated that Ukrainian entry into NATO is “unrealistic,” as Russia views the foreign alliance on its border as a threat.
“The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” stated Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, adding that Ukrainian security guarantees “must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Hegseth’s sentiment regarding Ukrainian entry into NATO, stating “We explained to our colleagues today what President Putin has repeatedly stressed: that the expansion of NATO, the absorption of Ukraine by the North Atlantic alliance, is a direct threat to the interests of the Russian Federation, a direct threat to our sovereignty.”
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