Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Ukraine is on “irreversible path to Nato” in a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Downing Street said. It comes as the Ukrainian president is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance in Munich amid concern over Trump’s ideas for a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Speaking on Saturday in an exclusive interview with The , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said NATO membership is the “cheapest” option for Ukraine's allies, and it would strengthen Trump geopolitically.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would need the U.S. to help it build up an army as big as that of Russia to serve as a "Plan B" if his country is not admitted into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

For Zelensky, in an interview with The Economist, “Ukraine will have to strengthen its army considerably if it's not accepted into NATO. In particular, this would mean doubling the number of military personnel”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will build NATO on its territory if it is not accepted into the Alliance. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with The Economist on 11 February,

An alternative to Ukraine's accession to NATO is the deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. At the same time, Ukraine should have an army similar in size to Russia's, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in an interview with The Guardian.

Zelenskyy pushes for NATO troops in Ukraine, warning that Europe alone can't match Russia's growing military power.