Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press conference at the Munich Security Conference, claimed that Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russia is preparing for war against NATO next year.

Referring to his upcoming talks with US Vice President J.D. Vance, he said: “There are decisions that can only be made at the level of presidents.”

Regarding his talks so far with US President Donald Trump, Zelenski said they were “not sufficient to formulate a plan” for peace. However, he described the messages coming from the US as “strong, albeit varied”, and stressed the need for further talks with Vance, with whom he is expected to meet later in the day.

Immediately after arriving at the Munich conference, Zelensky put his country’s future on the table, signaling that Ukraine wants to join NATO and that it will not recognize the occupied territories as Russian.

“We will never recognize the occupied territories as Russian,” he said, adding: “We want to be in NATO, yes. We trust NATO security guarantees. I think this is the most economical option for everyone.” At the same time, he stressed that Europe should unite around Ukraine to ensure its own security.

Ahead of his meeting with Trump’s delegation, Zelensky said: “I have told President Trump that I am ready to talk at any time, unconditionally. We are prepared to discuss everything, from troop deployment to NATO.”

The President said to Mr. Zhang that he had told the President of the United States that he was prepared to discuss everything from troop deployment to NATO.

He made clear, however, that his only “red line” is his refusal to recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.

“Legally, we will never recognize these territories as ‘Russian’ or anything else – they are Ukrainian. This is a non-negotiable red line, as it is enshrined in our Constitution. Only the people of Ukraine can decide on this,” he stressed.

He also noted that security guarantees for Ukraine are as important – if not more important – than NATO membership itself.

“Today, neither America nor President Trump is willing to discuss NATO membership. They believe that Ukraine’s membership aspirations, as enshrined in our Constitution, are a key reason for Russia’s occupation of our country,” he said.

At the same time, Zelensky left open the possibility that Ukraine could adjust its approach to NATO membership. “Do we want to be in NATO? Yes. But is it just a matter of the word ‘NATO’? No – the issue is security guarantees,” he said.

In this context, he noted that the main issue is the details of these guarantees, such as the terms of a peacekeeping mission and the size of the Ukrainian army.

If Ukraine does not join NATO, Zelensky estimates that the country’s army will need to grow to 1.5 million soldiers, stressing that Putin is essentially seeking to disarm Ukraine.