section_path: Political views/Foreign policy
section_name: Foreign policy
paragraph_text: Foreign policy
  
  During his presidential campaign, Zelenskyy said that he supported Ukraine's becoming a member of the EU and NATO, but he said Ukrainian voters should decide on the country's membership of these two organisations in referendums. At the same time, he believed that the Ukrainian people had already chosen "eurointegration." Zelenskyy's close advisor Bakanov also said that Zelenskyy's policy is supportive of membership of both the EU and NATO, and proposes holding referendums on membership. Zelenskyy's electoral programme claimed that Ukrainian NATO membership is "the choice of the Maidan and the course that is enshrined in the Constitution, in addition, it is an instrument for strengthening our defense capability." The program states that Ukraine should set the goal to apply for a NATO Membership Action Plan in 2024. The programme also states that Zelenskyy "will do everything to ensure" that Ukraine can apply for European Union membership in 2024. Two days before the second round, Zelenskyy stated that he wanted to build "a strong, powerful, free Ukraine, which is not the younger sister of Russia, which is not a corrupt partner of Europe, but our independent Ukraine." In October 2020, he spoke in support of Azerbaijan in regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Zelenskyy said,
  
  We support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty just as Azerbaijan always supports our territorial integrity and sovereignty.
  
  Zelenskyy has tried to position Ukraine as a neutral party in the political and trade tensions between the United States and China. In January 2021, Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axios that he does not perceive China as a geopolitical threat and that he does not agree with the United States assertions that it represents one.
  
  In February 2022, he applied for Ukraine to join the EU.
  
  Zelenskyy condemned Hamas ' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, and expressed his support of Israel's right to self-defense. As the Gaza war continued, Zelenskyy also affirmed Ukraine's support for the two-state solution and recognition of the State of Palestine; called for international law to be followed; and expressed Ukraine's readiness to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and desire to prevent civilian suffering.
  
  Zelenskyy condemned the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.