Zelensky Says NATO Membership to Ensure Ukraine Security

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, on Monday, that joining the NATO alliance would guarantee his country's survival.

"Today, many journalists and many leaders are hinting ... that it is possible not to take risks, not to constantly raise the issue of future membership in the alliance," Zelenskyy said.

That is "because these risks are associated with the reaction of the Russian Federation," he added, but also said he believes "we should move along the path we have chosen".

"We understand that NATO membership would ensure our security and our territorial integrity," he told the news conference.

Moreover, the president affirmed that it had been a mistake for some Western countries, including the United States, to move their diplomats from Kyiv in fear of a Russian assault.

"It is a big mistake that some embassies -- well, this is their decision -- are moving to western Ukraine," he said. "Because there is no western Ukraine, there is Ukraine, it is whole. So if, God forbid, something happens it will be everywhere."

Several countries have withdrawn diplomats and called on their citizens to leave Ukraine due to the escalating tensions between Russia and the eastern European country.