‘It’s for Ukraine to Decide’ – Latvia Says Kyiv Could Still Join NATO Despite Zelensky Shift

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said Ukraine could still join NATO despite President Volodymyr Zelensky signalling he may drop his demand for membership as part of peace efforts. Speaking ahead of EU Foreign Affairs Council talks in Brussels, Braze said NATO’s enlargement rules remain unchanged and that the decision ultimately rests with Ukraine and NATO allies.

She also stressed Latvia would not recognise any Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia as Russian, regardless of any ceasefire or peace deal. Her comments come as Ukrainian and U.S. delegations hold talks in Berlin amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.

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Transcript

00:00Indeed, all the attention is on achieving peace in Ukraine.

00:05And from our perspective, from the Latvian perspective, I want to be very clear,

00:08we will not recognize occupied territories as Russian.

00:12Whatever the ceasefire achieves, whatever is there,

00:15there will be no recognition of occupation as legal.

00:18So we will stick to our international positions that we have maintained,

00:22and that is something that we have been very clear about.

00:25And we very much commend the U.S. efforts, really gigantic, substantial talks,

00:33very detailed talks from what we know.

00:35And our support for Ukraine, for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty,

00:40democracy for the future is absolute and total.

00:44So we will continue supporting Ukraine both on the battlefield as long as it lasts,

00:49but also at the peace talks, whatever is necessary.

00:53And one thing that has not changed, we don't see any change in Russia's position.

00:59All the signals from Russia currently still, they are not serious about peace.

01:03They are just looking at picking and dividing NATO, picking, dividing the EU.

01:08So with that, we wish luck to Ukraine, to the U.S., and we wish for peace in Ukraine.

01:15And Ukraine does give up on NATO.

01:16It's for Ukraine to decide.

01:20I mean, NATO's treaty is very clear.

01:24Article 10 provides for the possibility to enlarge NATO with regard to European countries.

01:31So if you are a European country, you want to join NATO,

01:34you have to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security, and there has to be a consensus.

01:37So three very simple, straightforward points that the Article 10 provides.

01:42And every European country can join NATO.

01:46That is the ultimate.

01:48If Austria or Switzerland suddenly decides to change their views,

01:52they will have to comply also with the same conditions with regard to contributing to Euro-Atlantic security.

01:57There will have to be a consensus and so on and so forth, interoperability.

02:00So at the outset, NATO's treaty remains valid.

02:06But it will be for Ukraine to decide whether they continue applying or not,

02:10or whether they will delay it.

02:11And it will be for NATO's allies to decide when is the opportune moment to accept new members.

02:16The question is if they decide not to.

02:18I cannot answer with if.

02:20The questions with if don't work.

02:22I think the issue within the coalition of willing depends on the modalities, again,

02:34what exactly is happening on the ground.

‘It’s for Ukraine to Decide’ – Latvia Says Kyiv Could Still Join NATO Despite Zelensky Shift | APT

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