Zelensky: No NATO membership without Russian-occupied territories

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of NATO membership without its Russian-occupied territories at a press conference on Sunday in Kiev with the new European Council president, António Costa.

"An invitation for Ukraine to join NATO is a necessary thing for our survival," Zelensky said. But he added that there cannot be an invitation to NATO for only one part of the country.

He stressed that such a move would effectively recognize the loss of territory controlled by Russia, something Ukraine will never accept.

As a result, Zelensky emphasized that NATO membership can only be extended to Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

But in a recent interview, Zelensky had suggested NATO security guarantees could apply only to government-controlled areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine has been defending itself from Russia's full-scale invasion for over two and a half years. Moscow currently controls around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Joining NATO is a key component of Zelensky's "victory plan," presented in October.