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NATO admits Ukraine’s possible membership if it cedes part of its territory to Russia

It is underlined that Ukraine’s post-war status is already being negotiated and the issue of the cession of territories to Russia has already been raised

STOCKHOLM, August 15. /TASS/. Ukraine may join NATO if it agrees to cede the territories it refuses to recognize as part of Russia, Stian Jensen, Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, said on Tuesday.

"I think the solution might be for Ukraine to give up territory and get NATO membership in return. At the same time, Ukraine must decide for itself when and under what conditions it wants to negotiate," the Verdens Gang newspaper quoted him as saying.

When asked whether he thinks Ukraine should cede its territories to reach peace with Russia and join NATO in the future, Jensen said that Ukraine’s post-war status is already being negotiated and the issue of the cession of territories to Russia has already been raised. "I’m not saying that this should happen. But this may be a possible solution," he explained.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS earlier that the settlement of the conflict requires confirmation of the fundamentals of Ukraine’s sovereignty - its neutral, off-bloc, and non-nuclear status. Apart from that, in his words, it is necessary to "recognize the new territorial realities, ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization and denazification, the rights of its Russian-speaking citizens and national minorities in line with international law."

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine NATO

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