Zelensky: US never wanted Ukraine in NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the US had never seen Ukraine as a NATO member, following the latest statements from Washington that Kyiv joining the defence alliance would be "unrealistic."

Speaking at a discussion event at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky commented that in this respect, the position of the new US administration is no different to the previous administration of former president Joe Biden.

The new US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, and President Donald Trump recently expressed doubts about NATO membership for Ukraine. In contrast, the United Kingdom sees Ukraine on an "irreversible path" to NATO membership, according to its Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In any case, Zelensky pointed out on Friday, the Russian army is still far superior in terms of personnel to the Ukrainian and NATO soldiers available in Europe.

"Russia has 220 brigades, real brigades. So they're two times bigger" than Ukrainian forces, he said.

There are about 80 brigades in Europe, he said. "Even together, we are not comparable to the Russian army," he said. There had to be more money for a bigger army for Ukraine, and there had to be a way to increase the size of the defence forces in Europe, he said.