Kiev, 19 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of Ukraine joining NATO without its Russian-occupied territories.

Ukraine would not agree to a split accession, he told journalists in Kiev on Tuesday. "We have not received such a proposal from any of our partners. I also find it difficult to imagine what that would look like," Zelensky said.

The strongest security guarantee for Ukraine would be its accession to the Western defence alliance as a whole country, he added.

Former NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen has suggested that Ukraine could be accepted into the military alliance even if it does not control its entire territory, arguing that this would deter Russia from attacking Ukrainian territory.

In turn, Ukraine could focus on frontline battles away from the heartland, according to Rasmussen.

At an end-of-year press conference in Kiev, the Ukrainian president also thanked Germany for its help, praising the country as Ukraine's "second largest supporter [...] - financially and militarily."