Zelensky: Decision on Ukraine’s neutral status should be made on referendum

"As for Russia's desire for Ukraine’s neutral status. If this is one of the provisions of the agreements on ending the war, we are ready to consider the neutral status of Ukraine. However, only if we have security guarantees from specific countries so that these are not empty agreements. And if we reach serious agreements and they provide security guarantees, and Russia accepts them, they will be put to a referendum and the Ukrainian society will make a decision," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel when asked about Ukraine's possible neutral status and non-accession to NATO if it helps end the war, Ukrinform reports citing the translation of the Embassy of Ukraine in the UAE.

As the President noted, there are other issues apart from the neutral status, including the liberation of the temporarily occupied territories, which also need to be discussed.

According to Zelensky, he has not had any talks with Russian president Putin since the end of 2019 when the last Normandy format meeting was held.

As the President of Ukraine stated earlier in an interview with CNN, Ukraine will not give up its territories in the east of the country to end the war with Russia.

At the same time, Zelensky believes that the most pressing issues of negotiations with Russia are security guarantees, the neutral status of Ukraine, the fate of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea.