MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The "exchange" of Donbass and Novorossiya for Ukraine's NATO membership cannot be a condition for a peace settlement with Russia, as these territories were never part of Ukraine, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo told TASS in an interview.

"This is just an informational propaganda tactic. Ukraine cannot give up land it does not own. What does it mean to give it away? <...> These territories were never part of Ukraine, and it keeps trying to claim that it will have to relinquish them. These are historical Russian territories, not Ukraine’s," the governor said.

Saldo added that the reunification of Donbass and Novorossiya with Russia is simply a restoration of historical justice. "At this point, these lands have returned to their rightful place. And that is why they cannot be a condition for negotiations," the Kherson Region head emphasized.

Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly declared Kiev’s intention to join NATO in the near future. However, Vladimir Zelensky has recently made a series of contradictory statements. On December 1, he stated that Ukraine would never accept a partial invitation to NATO, though he had previously acknowledged that the "hot phase" of the conflict would end if the territories under Kiev's control were brought "under the umbrella" of the alliance. At the same time, he admitted that Ukraine had not received any such proposals.