‘Will give up presidency in exchange for Ukraine’s Nato membership’: Zelenskyy

On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said joining Nato is "still on the table" despite Russia's opposition. 

Referring to the Russia-US peace talks to find possible solutions to end the Ukraine war in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy reiterated that any deal made without Kyiv's direct involvement in talks would not be recognised. 

The United States had announced that they would form special teams to mediate with Ukraine and Russia to explore ways of ending the war. 

While speaking at a press conference, Zelenskyy said that he would "give up" the presidency in exchange for peace. He also added that he can exchange it for "Nato membership for Ukraine" as well. 

His response came after US President Donald Trump called the Ukrainian president a "dictator without elections" earlier this week. Elections were banned in Ukraine during the martial law, which has been in place since Russia's invasion in February. 

Rather than being seen as a mere mediator, Zelenskyy said he wanted to see Trump as Ukraine's partner. 

Meanwhile, the European Union and world leaders are meeting in Kyiv on Monday to discuss the security guarantees and show their support for Ukraine. "We need partnership, we need help but we can't lose our independence, we can't lose our dignity," said Zelenskyy. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among those to arrive in Kyiv for the meeting. 

Also, it seems that Zelenskyy is still committed to gaining Nato membership. Though the US appears to have taken it off the table, EU members are still backing that goal.