New Ukraine president commits to NATO, EU membership

BRUSSELS — Ukraine’s new president says his country still hopes to become a member of the NATO military alliance and the European Union but he is open to peace talks with neighbouring Russia.

Standing beside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “the strategic course of Ukraine to achieve full-fledged membership in the EU and NATO … remains unchanged.”

Zelenskiy says “armed aggression from Russia is a major challenge” but he stands ready to negotiate with Moscow and respect the Minsk agreement meant to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.