Zelensky needs to be realistic about Ukraine’s NATO membership – The National Interest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to be realistic regarding conflict resolution and Kyiv’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance.

This was stated by Benjamin Hazen, an associate professor at the University of Dayton and a retired U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance officer, along with military expert Alexander Hardy in a joint article for The National Interest (NI).

“The fighting must come to an end, and Zelensky needs to be realistic. NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine, and Ukrainians need to come to terms with the fact that this will remain only a long-term dream,” the experts noted.

According to Hazen and Hardy, Russia has more resources and manpower, whereas Ukraine, on the contrary, lacks them. They concluded that the Ukrainian leader “must relinquish control over Donbas and begin negotiations for conflict resolution.”

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow is ready for negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He outlined the conditions for talks and clarified that they should be based on the realities currently unfolding on the front lines.