Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a dire threat on February 14, saying that Russia may strike a NATO member “next year” if firm security assurances are not put in place. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky indicated that President Vladimir Putin may have Poland or the Baltic states in his crosshairs as his next targets.
While stressing that this view was his own, Zelensky said, “They can go ahead to Ukraine, or they will go to Poland or to the Baltics. I think this is his idea,” and added, “Intelligence suggests he’s gearing up for war against NATO nations next year.”
Volodymyr Zelensky was unsure about his assertions, saying, “I don’t have 100 percent certainty… but God bless, we will stop this crazy guy.” He emphasized the imperative of security assurances from Russia, suggesting that Ukraine is willing to reexamine its aspirations for NATO membership.
“We would like to be a member of NATO, but it’s not a matter of using the word ‘NATO’—it’s security guarantees,” he insisted. Zelensky also showed willingness for direct talks with Russia, depending on obtaining a collective position with the U.S. and European allies on ending the conflict.
We are willing to negotiate with America and with our allies. If they are to give clear responses to what we are requesting and a collective understanding of how much of a threat Putin constitutes, we would be willing to negotiate with the Russians,” he said.
This threat came after Zelensky’s insistence that Ukraine would not accept any peace deal signed without it. His comments followed a phone call between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, where they agreed to start negotiating “immediately.”
Zelensky strongly reaffirmed that Ukraine will never recognize the Russian-occupied territories as Russian. “Legally, we will never recognize these territories as ‘Russian’ or anything else—they are Ukrainian. That is a firm red line; it’s enshrined in our constitution,” he stated, reiterating that only the people of Ukraine can decide their destiny.
