Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended this Monday (9) a diplomatic agreement to end the war with Russia and raised the idea of foreign troops being stationed in his country until it can join Ukraine’s Western military alliance. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The statements made at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kiev’s growing openness to negotiations as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House on January 20.
Trump, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday (8) for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the “madness”, after meeting with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.
“Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone. Without a doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We seek this,” Zelensky told reporters in Kiev on Monday.
He said he discussed a “freezing” of lines in the war when he met with Macron and Trump. Russia controls almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 invasion that triggered the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Zelensky said he told the two leaders that he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin really wants to end the war and that the Russian president would need to be forced to do so.
“You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield,” he said, implying that Kiev needed help to strengthen itself.
He received a rhetorical boost from Merz, the leader in the election race to become Germany’s next chancellor, who used his visit to compare Berlin’s current politics to making Ukraine fight with one arm tied behind its back.
Foreign troops
Zelensky also returned to an idea raised in February by Macron, who raised the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. There was no consensus on the issue among European leaders.
“We can think and work in Emmanuel’s position. He suggested that part of a country’s troops be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in NATO,” Zelenskiy said.
“But we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when it will be in NATO,” he added.
Kiev, which made a concerted effort to win an invitation to join NATO, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia from launching another invasion when current hostilities are halted.
“If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in NATO, and even if we had the invitation, and we were not in NATO, and there was a pause, who would guarantee us some kind of security?” asked Zelensky at the press conference.
Russia demands that Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join NATO and sees Kiev’s participation in the alliance as an unacceptable threat to its security.
The Ukrainian leader told reporters he hopes to call current US President Joe Biden in the coming days to discuss NATO membership.
“He is the current president and a lot depends on his opinion. And it makes no sense to discuss with President Trump something that is not up to him today — while he is not yet in the White House,” said Zelensky.
This content was originally published in Zelensky seeks diplomatic end to war and proposes role for foreign troops on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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