Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast Ukraine's bid to join NATO as a major threat to Moscow's security and a reason for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine has relinquished its ambition of joining the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president says Kyiv could drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO in exchange for security guarantees.