There have been some positive signs in the third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has said that it is no longer insisting on NATO membership, agreeing with Russia's position.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he is no longer insisting on NATO membership. This is an important issue, which Russia has been consistently citing as a major reason for the attack on pro-Western Ukraine.
In an apparent agreement with Moscow's stand on another issue, Zelensky said the two pro-Russian regions apart from Ukraine are also open to the agreement on the status of the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Ukraine an independent country before the attack on February 24.
In an interview with ABC News, Zelensky said, "I calmed down about this question long ago when we understood that, NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine. Zelensky said the NATO alliance is frightened by the contentious things and also by the confrontation with Russia.
On NATO membership, Zelensky said, he does not want to be the president of a country that gets down on its knees and begs for something. The NATO alliance was established at the start of the Cold War to protect Europe from the Soviet Union.
Russia sees the expansion of NATO as a threat to itself. He worries that the new Western members will push NATO forces too close to its border. This is the reason why he has been consistently opposed to Ukraine joining the NATO alliance.
Just before ordering an attack on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the Russian-backed separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "republics" in eastern Ukraine.
Putin now wants Ukraine to recognize these regions as sovereign and independent countries.
Putin now wants Ukraine to recognize these regions as sovereign and independent countries.