Zelensky: I am ready to resign as leader! If it brings peace and Ukraine's membership in NATO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "ready" to resign as leader if it meant it would bring his country to power, suggesting he could trade it for NATO membership, while also pushing back against US demands for Ukraine's critical minerals and other natural resources as part of negotiations to end the war.
Asked at a press conference on Sunday if he was ready to resign if it would ensure peace for Ukraine, Zelensky said: "If [it guarantees] peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to resign, I am ready. I can exchange it for NATO."
Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Kiev's joining NATO was unrealistic, overturning the alliance's stated policy that Ukraine was on an "irreversible path" to membership.
The Ukrainian president's remarks come amid an ongoing feud with US President Donald Trump, who has called Zelensky a "dictator" for not holding elections while Ukraine remains at war.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion three years ago. Martial law bans elections.
Zelensky on Sunday also rejected Trump's demand for a $500 billion share of Ukraine's rare earth deposits and other minerals, as part of a draft "deal" that Trump said would reflect the amount of aid the U.S. has provided to Ukraine during its war with Russia.
"I will not recognize $500 billion," Zelensky said during a press conference at a forum marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Using Ukraine's resources to pay the amount could take 250 years, Zelensky said, adding that he could not sign anything that would require "ten generations of Ukrainians" to pay.
The US was one of Ukraine's closest allies under the Biden administration, offering the country tens of billions in military aid. But Trump has made it clear that he believes the US should no longer send aid to Ukraine without getting anything in return.
Ukraine has demanded that US security guarantees be part of any deal involving its mineral wealth.
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