Ukraine has alternative for security before joining NATO: president

KIEV, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the security guarantees provided by the European Union and the United States could become an alternative to Ukraine's joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the president's press service reported Tuesday on its official website.

In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Zelensky said that the European Union and the United States should provide security guarantees for the cessation of hostilities in Donbass, reoccupation of the territories lost in recent years, and the solution of the issue of the country's energy security in the event of the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

"We have an understanding of such a plan, and I will say frankly that I was going to talk about such a plan with (U.S.) President (Joe) Biden," said Zelensky.

Zelensky added that the plan would go beyond what is currently discussed at the Normandy Format talks.

NATO membership is one of Ukraine's foreign policy priorities. In February 2019, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the Constitution, securing the country's aspiration to join the alliance. In June 2020, Ukraine received the status of a partner in the NATO Enhanced Opportunities Program.