The announcement was made at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday in front of hundreds of journalists, where Zelenskyj was asked if he could consider "giving up" the presidency for peace.
Yes, it would make me happy if it's for peace in Ukraine. If someone wants me to leave this chair, I'm ready to do it. I could also exchange the presidential post for NATO membership for Ukraine.
The press conference was held the day before the three-year anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the latest developments dominated the reporters' questions.
Top Meeting in Kyiv
Zelenskyj said that discussions about NATO membership will be part of further negotiations about peace, but that he doesn't know how these discussions will end.
He also emphasized that it is Ukraine that invites European leaders to talks about peace in the country "since we are part of Europe". He welcomes the fact that European leaders are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Monday, and says that talks about the future strategy "will not be about the next few years, but about the next few weeks".
Ukraine's president confirmed that 13 heads of state and government will come to Kyiv on Monday. In addition, 24 countries' leaders will participate digitally in the meeting, which is held on the anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion.
Northern European leaders will be here for us. They are very important and strong partners, said Zelenskyj and stated that the meeting can become "a turning point".
Among the confirmed participants are the EU Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the President of the European Council António Costa.
Not Insulted
In front of a clear blue background, wearing a black sweater with the Ukrainian military's emblem, Zelenskyj also reasoned about the many statements from Washington in recent days. He said that he "is not insulted" over the US President Trump calling him a dictator.
I would definitely not describe the words Trump used as a compliment. One could be insulted to be called a dictator if one was a dictator. I am not a dictator. I am a legally elected president, said Zelenskyj and then commented on the negotiations with the US about Ukrainian raw materials.
We are ready to talk about mineral resources with the US, he says, but emphasizes that the US must get Russia's president to "end the war".
But he denied that Ukraine owes the US the 500 billion dollars that the Trump administration has mentioned as a sum.
