NATO membership, Donbas, and security guarantees: Zelenskyy's key points on talks
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange in a more than 1,000 for more than 1,000 format, the issue of speed restrictions on Starshield terminals, and new peace talks involving Europe.
Read more about what the president discussed at a meeting with journalists in the RBC-Ukraine material below.
Support from Denmark, the Nordic countries, and preparations for Ramstein
Denmark's aid package: The country is allocating a support package worth €645 million. It includes 20 mm ammunition for F-16s to shoot down jet-powered Shahed drones, around €200 million for drone production, funding for co-production, and a separate energy package for the Kherson region. An agreement has also been reached to supply Ukraine with 800,000 rounds of ammunition for F-16s over six months.
FREYJA and PURL programs: Support for next year, air defense, and progress on the FREYJA antiballistic program were discussed with the N5 countries (the Nordic countries). The Danish radar, Ukrainian launcher, and missile are already ready. Meanwhile, the PURL program requires additional contributions from partners.
Satellite communications: Ukraine is testing alternative satellite communication options jointly with France, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Germany will also join the effort.
Air defense, aviation, and energy needs: At next week's meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Berlin on November 19, Ukraine expects decisions on PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles, F-16 fighter jets (the need for aircraft in the air at any given time is 2.5 times higher than the number currently available due to the constant refurbishment of aircraft), and winter energy aid packages for cities (Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia), including diesel, gasoline, generators, and buses. Separately, the Cabinet of Ministers will cooperate with the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre in case of blackouts.
"Energy aid packages are needed, especially for Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. If electric public transport has to be scaled back, a specific amount of fuel and buses will be needed," Zelenskyy explained.
Talks in Abu Dhabi, prisoner exchange, and Europe's involvement
Major prisoner exchange: Ukraine has supported the proposal for an all-for-all exchange. Following the US delegation's visit to Moscow, an agreement was reached on an exchange involving "more than 1,000 for more than 1,000" prisoners. The exact number is still being determined and is expected to be between 1,200 and 1,300 people.
Europe at the negotiating table: The US and Russia have agreed to Europe's participation in the trilateral negotiation format. By the end of November, European partners are expected to select their representatives (likely three to five people), with Ukraine approving the final list.
"Next time, Europe will not be in the next room but at the same negotiating table, and we will have a joint agenda. Most likely, there will be three, four, or five people representing Europe as a whole," the president said.
Energy ceasefire and security architecture: Russia is refusing an energy ceasefire and any other form of truce.
"Putin personally does not support a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy warned against attempts to revise Europe's security architecture before the war ends, emphasizing the need to follow a specific sequence: first a ceasefire, an end to the war, and security guarantees for Ukraine, and only then broader discussions.
"It seems that in 2021, Putin brought Biden exactly this idea: a redistribution of power in Europe and the world, weakening or withdrawing NATO troops, and withdrawing US troops. Any such changes are very dangerous," the president explained.
Security guarantees, NATO, and territorial issues
Conditions for dialogue with society: According to the president, US negotiators raised for the first time the possibility of Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas in exchange for NATO membership. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine will not recognize the occupied territories as Russian. He said he would only be able to put a comprehensive package up for public discussion if it included specific guarantees from NATO and the EU, funding for a strong army, and a Recovery Plan.
"The Americans raised the question, 'What if Ukraine joins NATO and withdraws from Donbas?' This was the first time. We are discussing a comprehensive security package with our partners. If the US side confirms this to us, together with our other NATO colleagues, then I will ask our society: do we accept it or not?" Zelenskyy said.
An alternative to Article 5: Asked about security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5, the US side clarified that the proposal involved bilateral agreements without the deployment of US troops in Ukraine. Zelenskyy emphasized that full NATO membership, supported by France, Denmark, and the Nordic countries, among others, is the only real form of preventive protection.
"Enshrining neutrality means changing your country's Constitution, and Ukraine will not agree to that," he stressed.
Starshield restrictions in the occupied territories
For the fifth consecutive day, speed restrictions of up to 161 km/h have been recorded on Starshield terminals in temporarily occupied territories.
SpaceX cites technical reasons, but the Ukrainian side has observed that the restrictions are widespread. This makes it impossible to intercept jet-powered Shahed drones near the front line before they enter Ukrainian-controlled territory. The Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Drapatyi are working to have these limits lifted.
"Starshield is restricted, with a maximum speed of 161 km/h in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories. If they have reverted to a decision that there are no restrictions anywhere in Ukraine, but restrictions remain in the temporarily occupied territories, then such a decision is very dangerous. If you impose restrictions there, you are effectively no longer recognizing part of the temporarily occupied territories as ours," the president said.
Russia's losses in October and provocation in Kostiantynivka
Record Russian losses: According to Zelenskyy, the Russian army lost 54,000 troops killed or severely wounded in October, the highest monthly figure since the start of the war.
Situation in Kostiantynivka: The president called Russia's initiative for an alleged humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians in Kostiantynivka an attempt to force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw from a city that Russian troops have been unable to capture for a year and a half. This would open the way to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
According to Ukraine, civilians in the city have already been evacuated as soon as circumstances allowed. Ukraine also provided the US with a list of seven to eight villages near Oleshky where civilians, including children, are genuinely trapped. However, Russia ignored the list.
"Russia's story about the 'civilian population' in Kostiantynivka is Putin's reaction to his failure to capture the city," Zelenskyy said.
