"A father who lost his children will seek justice": Zelensky explained that Ukraine's NATO membership also ensures security guarantees for Russia.

Russia needs to understand that Ukraine's accession to NATO—a defensive alliance—is primarily necessary for its own security guarantees. Because after the war, Ukrainians will "be seeking justice."

This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during an interview with American podcaster Lex Friedman.

"What security guarantees are there for Russia? Not because I'm particularly interested in what happens to them. After the war, I’m not at all concerned about their future. But these are our borders, and we must understand what is happening there. So, NATO's security guarantees for Ukraine are essentially security guarantees for the Russians as well," Zelensky said.

According to him, Russians will have to fear those Ukrainians who may seek revenge in the future.

"For instance, a father who has lost children—whether they were fulfilling their constitutional duty or a civilian child killed by a missile. And when the war ends, he, a grown man, has not achieved justice. Our support has been frozen, we won’t give you anything, you can’t fight, you can’t continue. He lost children, and no one has been held accountable. Not a single killer will end up in prison; all sanctions will be lifted. Yet he lost children. And there are thousands of such people among us. Why do you think they won’t go to Russia, find a way, and kill someone there?" Zelensky speculates.

"Read American writers; there must always be justice for people after any war. If there is no justice, they will return, filled with hatred. And so, when we talk about NATO—it doesn’t just stop Russia. Don’t forget—NATO also stops us."

Background. Recall that Zelensky mentioned in his interview with Friedman that holding elections during wartime is impossible—or it will require amending the Constitution. He reminded about the 8.5 million Ukrainians who have gone abroad and about a million military personnel who will not be able to vote.