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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested he would be willing to step down as president of Ukraine if the country was allowed to join NATO, indicating he is "exchangeable" for Ukrainian membership of the military alliance.
He also offered to sign a minerals deal with the US that was put on hold following his heated meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.
Mr Zelenskyy made these comments to reporters on Sunday evening after earlier talks with other world leaders at a London summit hosted by Sir Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, who suggested a coalition of European allies could step up to defend Ukraine and “guarantee the peace”.
Latest updates on Ukraine’s future
In response to a question from Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, Mr Zelenskyy said he is “exchangeable” in exchange for NATO membership and that fulfilling that mission would mean NATO membership for Ukraine.
However, he noted that replacing him would not be easy and would require more than just holding elections as there are legal hurdles in place.
Mr Zelenskyy has dismissed calls from US officials for him to resign after some Republicans, including Senator Lindsay Graham and Speaker Mike Johnson, suggested he should step down following the fiery White House exchange with President Trump.
During his Sunday evening comments at Stansted Airport, Mr Zelenskyy also confirmed that there has been further communication between Ukraine and the Trump administration since the dispute on Friday, but stated it was not at the president level.
Mr Zelenskyy’s meeting with the King at Sandringham followed a hectic week that included a visit to see the King at Sandringham after he attended a security summit in central London.
