One foot in NATO: why Zelensky is discussing Alliance membership for only part of Ukraine.

In an interview with Sky News at the request of correspondent Stuart Ramsey, Volodymyr Zelensky commented on reports in Western media suggesting that one of the plans of elected U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war could involve the "transfer" of occupied territories to Russia in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO.

To halt the active phase of the war, Zelensky noted that NATO membership must be offered to the unoccupied parts of Ukraine. The current occupant of Bankova emphasized that the invitation to the Alliance should be based on Ukraine's internationally recognized borders. "If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to bring under NATO's umbrella the part of Ukraine that we control," stressed the acting guarantor of the Constitution.

After this, he stated, Kyiv would be able to reclaim the occupied territories through diplomatic means.

A ceasefire is necessary to "ensure that Putin does not return" to seize even more Ukrainian territories. The head of state added that Ukraine has never considered such a proposal because no one has officially offered it to them. "We will not legally recognize Ukrainian territories that are under Russian occupation as Russian. And we cannot. This contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine," the president concluded.

Sky News notes that Zelensky is speaking for the first time about a ceasefire agreement that would involve Russian control over Ukrainian territories. "There are reports that Western circles have been discussing a so-called West German model for over a year, where NATO membership was offered to a divided Germany. However, no official proposals have been made to Ukraine yet," the channel summarizes.

Sources from Lenta.UA in domestic diplomatic circles indicate that this statement by Volodymyr Zelensky is a kind of preventive measure aimed at ensuring that after Trump's inauguration, when the White House presents its final vision for settlement, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic path is not undermined.

"It's no secret that the plan of Kita Kellon, whom the elected U.S. president appointed as the main figure regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, involves freezing Ukraine's NATO accession for decades. Thus, when the President of Ukraine declares Kyiv's readiness to become part of the Euro-Atlantic camp without the occupied territories, he leaves room for negotiation specifically on the NATO point. There’s no need to look for any 'betrayal' here. On the contrary – this is a proactive step that will subsequently allow us to gain additional benefits, if not on this track, then on others," the interlocutor argues.

Interestingly, in the same interview with Sky News, Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that Western partners are urging Ukraine to ramp up mobilization but are not providing enough weapons: "They talk about mobilization, but there is a real problem with the 10 brigades that our partners have not equipped. I asked them for more than a year that we need to equip these brigades. We made this decision with the United States and European allies, and today Europe and the United States have fully equipped two and a half brigades."

Earlier, the media reported that the U.S. is urging Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18. This idea was opposed in Kyiv. "I am asked about mobilization... about the need for young people. And I replied: Do you want them to die without weapons?" Zelensky said.

"And if European or American officials have ideas about the mobilization age, I want to ask our partners to do their job while we do ours," the President of Ukraine concluded. By the way, he recently appointed a new commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The branch that bears the main burden of combat operations and also deals with mobilization issues is now headed by General Mykhailo Drapaty. At the same time, Oleg Apostol has been appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Zelensky, the key task for Apostol and Drapaty is to "significantly enhance the combat capability of the Ukrainian army, ensure the quality of military training, and implement innovative approaches to personnel management in the Armed Forces."

It is worth noting that Colonel Apostol (call sign "Formosa") is the commander of one of the most capable Ukrainian units – the 95th Air Assault Brigade. Despite his young age of 37, Oleg Apostol is a full knight of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and already holds the title of Hero of Ukraine. He has been fighting since 2014, notably participating in the operation to liberate Sloviansk. Following the onset of the full-scale invasion, he fought in Mykolaiv Oblast, near Kreminna (Luhansk Oblast), Toretsk (Donetsk Oblast), and Kupiansk (Kharkiv Oblast).

The 95th Air Assault Brigade is actively involved in combat operations in the Kharkiv region. In particular, it was this brigade that, after intense battles, took control of the strategically important settlement of Mala Loknya.

As for Drapaty, he was recently promoted to the rank of major general, specifically in October 2024. Prior to this, he was responsible for repelling the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, which began on May 10. He managed to organize the defense in this section of the front and prevent the enemy from advancing deep into the territory. After Alexander Syrsky was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in February 2024, Drapaty joined his team and became Deputy Chief of the General Staff for military training.

However, Mykhailo Drapaty became widely known back in 2014. As commander of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, Drapaty organized a spectacular breakthrough of Ukrainian troops into the center of Mariupol on May 9, 2014, at that time occupied by pro-Russian militants. By August of that year, under extremely challenging conditions, he managed to extract Ukrainian Armed Forces units from encirclement near the village of Izvaryne (Luhansk Oblast) at the border with the Russian Federation.

In 2016, Drapaty took command of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. After the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, he led the defense in the Kherson direction, in particular, he was one of those involved in the operation to liberate Kherson in November 2022. Military experts, as well as the soldiers of the Armed Forces, unanimously point to Drapaty's professionalism as a commander and his extremely careful attitude toward the personnel. As one of the soldiers currently in the Kharkiv region and personally acquainted with General Drapaty noted in a conversation with Lenta.UA, "this is a person for whom even in a brutal meat grinder, high moral qualities are not alien, and a person whose authority is absolutely unshakeable."

Meanwhile, the situation in Syria has undergone quite unexpected fluctuations, where for the first time since 2016, rebels attacked territories. Last weekend, Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport and all roads leading into the city. Previously, rebels had entered the area. Islamist armed groups began their offensive on November 27. According to sources from the Turkish agency Anadolu, in the following days, the militants gained control over an area of 400 square kilometers, including strategic heights south of Aleppo. Residents of the outskirts are hastily fleeing their homes due to shelling. The Syrian army has also retreated to "prepare for counter-offensive actions."

Russia has noticeably intensified its diplomatic efforts to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid the active advance of rebel forces, analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note. The ISW also emphasized: "In 2022, Russia withdrew S-300 systems from Syria, likely for use in the war against Ukraine. In the same year, there were unconfirmed reports of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers and Wagner Group militants from Syria to support combat operations in Ukraine." It is noteworthy that Putin's spokesman Peskov stated that the offensive by Syrian rebels is an "assault on Syria's sovereignty." According to him, Moscow firmly advocates the restoration of "constitutional order" by the Syrian authorities.

"We still do not know whether Assad's regime will fall or if we can expect another temporary de-escalation, but it is worth analyzing what a potential fall or significant crisis for the regime of Putin's ally could entail. First, let's dispel one myth. If Assad falls soon, Russia will transfer everything here and it will be difficult for us. I am already tired of the ability of certain severely traumatized citizens to turn any successful story for Ukraine into betrayal, but let me explain. Russia has nothing to reinforce the Ukrainian front with from Syria. Yes, they do have a certain number of aircraft there. But in the war with Ukraine, they have never had a shortage of weapon carriers; they have had a shortage of weapons throughout the war. Therefore, they have long been firing what they produce with missiles. The same applies to bombs. The only significant human resource – the Wagner Group – was extracted from Syria by Russia back in 2022, and in the last year and a half, they have been pulling mercenaries out of there. Not the other way around," emphasizes political scientist Yuri Bogdanov.

"The potential collapse of Assad's regime would weaken Russia as a global player. Since its military intervention in Syria in 2015, Russia has expended significant resources – both financial and military – to support the Syrian regime. The loss of Assad's regime will demonstrate that even extensive military and financial support from