Under Trump Pressure, Zelenskyy Ready to Resign for Ukraine's NATO Membership

KYIV, MONDAY - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to step down for the sake of Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He is willing to give up his post if it brings peace to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy added that his resignation could be exchanged for Ukraine's entry into the NATO military alliance. "If (it means) peace for Ukraine, if I really need to leave my post, I am ready," Zelenskyy said while answering questions at a press conference in Myiv, Ukraine, Sunday (24/2/2025) evening local time.

Zelenskyy appeared irritated when asked whether he was prepared to leave office if it meant securing peace. "I can exchange this for NATO, if that condition is there, immediately," he added.

After three years of war with Russia, peace seems increasingly out of reach for Ukraine. The support of the United States, which has so far been Ukraine's main ally, continues to wane. The U.S., on the contrary, is growing closer to Russia.

US President Donald Trump also continued to attack with various statements. Trump pressured Zelenskyy by pushing for elections to be held in Ukraine. Previously he called Zelenskyy with scorn "a dictator without elections."

Trump's term refers to the Ukrainian leader's official five-year term that ends in 2024. Russia has also called Zelenskyy an illegitimate leader.

According to Ukrainian law, elections are not held during a state of emergency. Ukraine has declared a state of emergency since Russia invaded in February 2022.

If (it means) peace for Ukraine, if I really need to leave my post, I am ready.

Trump claimed that Ukrainians' approval rating for Zelenskyy was very low, only 4 percent. This was denied by Zelenskyy who revealed the results of the latest opinion poll released on Sunday (23/2/2025), public support for him was 63 percent.

"I will not be in power for decades, but we will not allow Putin to rule over Ukrainian territory either," Zelenskyy said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy said Trump's claim of public approval was a dangerous false statement. However, he did not blame the US President. He believes the mistake was the result of misinformation that Trump received. "I believe it was not a mistake, it was misinformation that had a big impact," he said.

Earlier last week, Zelenskyy said Trump was in a disinformation bubble created by Russia to anger the US president and his team.

"(The information) about 4 percent of Ukrainians supporting me is one of the signals spread by Russia. That's why I said it was a disinformation attack, I didn't say it was President Trump's fault," he said.

Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy has been a constant source of criticism and has further strained relations between the two leaders in recent weeks. Zelenskyy has opposed holding elections amid the war under Ukrainian law.

The Ukrainian president said he wanted to see Trump as a partner for Ukraine, not just a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow. "I really want it to be more than just mediation, which is not enough," he said.

Behind Trump's increasingly aggressive attacks on Zelenskyy lies a U.S. mineral agreement that Ukraine has yet to approve. Trump stated that Ukraine must provide critical raw materials worth 500 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. in return for the aid Kyiv received during former President Joe Biden's administration.

Zelenskyy refused to sign the proposal submitted by the US last week. The proposal included Washington receiving 50 percent of Ukraine's critical minerals, which consist of graphite, uranium, titanium, and lithium. Lithium is a key component in electric vehicle batteries.

Zelenskyy said he wanted to reach a minerals deal with the US, but in return the deal would have to offer security guarantees for Ukraine.

He refused to agree to an agreement that would burden the Ukrainian people in the long term. "I will not sign something that must be repaid over 10 generations of Ukrainian citizens," said Zelenskyy regarding the mineral agreement.

On Friday (21/2/2025), he said, the US and Ukrainian teams were reworking the mineral deal. Trump hopes the deal will be signed soon.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy also rejected the U.S. claim that Ukraine owes 500 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. "There is no format (of any kind) that makes us debtors for (past) assistance," he stated.

According to Zelenskyy, during the three years of the war, Washington has supplied his country with 67 billion US dollars in weapons and 31.5 billion US dollars in direct budget support during the war with Russia.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that the 18 percent of Ukraine occupied by Russia contains about $350 billion worth of vital raw materials. Currently, Ukraine is conducting geological research to update information compiled decades ago.

Ukrainian Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said he had new constructive talks with senior U.S. officials on a deal to develop Ukrainian minerals. "We continue our work. These are constructive discussions," Yermak wrote on Telegram.

On CNN's "State of the Union" this week, Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said he expected a minerals deal to be completed this week, allowing the U.S. to play a bigger role in exploiting Ukraine's mineral resources.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration’s minerals plan is about creating a U.S.-Ukraine partnership. He called it a win-win.

"We make money if the Ukrainian people make money," Bessent said on Fox News Channel's Sunday Morning Futures.

Russia-US ties are getting closer. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington will resume bilateral talks next weekend.

Russian news agency TASS reported Sunday that Ryabkov said the talks would be held between department heads of the two foreign ministries. “Quite a lot of contacts are taking place between the Russian and American sides,” he said.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) continues to show support for Ukraine. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials will visit Kyiv on Monday.

The visit comes as Europe tries to devise a response to the Trump administration's U.S. policy shift from full support for Ukraine to closer ties with Russia. The EU is also working out how to maintain support for Kyiv if Washington's aid ends.

Britain said it would announce new sanctions against Russia on Monday. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctions were aimed at eroding Russia's military machine and cutting off revenues that were fueling the fires of destruction in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are due to visit Washington this week, with the meeting expected to try to persuade Trump not to abandon Ukraine in peace talks.

Amidst efforts to end the war, Russia continues to launch attacks in Ukraine. Ukrainian troops remain, some crippled by war wounds. Wounded Russian troops are also reported to continue fighting on the battlefield.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 267 drones into Ukraine overnight, a larger strike than a typical single strike.

The Ukrainian Air Force said 138 Russian drones were shot down over 13 Ukrainian regions. Another 119 were lost en route to their targets.

In addition to the drone strike, the Ukrainian Air Force said three ballistic missiles were fired. One person was killed in the city of Kryvyi Rih. "No one should believe Putin's words. Just look at his actions," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a social media post, responding to the latest Russian attack. (Reuters/AFP/AP)