Ukraine won’t negotiate its army or economic security with Russia – Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Getty Images)
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the press conference with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, stated that there are two points that Ukraine will not discuss with Russia in the upcoming negotiations. They are concerned about the army and economic security guarantees.
"I do not want to discuss with them (Russia – ed.) what our army should be like, because this is part of the security guarantees for Ukrainians. Also, I am not going to negotiate with them regarding economic security guarantees, where the European Union is the main economic security guarantee for Ukraine," he said.
The President called these two points "unconditional things that we need."
"Thousands of people are in prisons, not just military personnel, and they all must be with their families. And those whom they (Russia) tortured—we must retrieve them all and bring them home. Unfortunately, even the deceased. These are unconditional things that must be done," Zelenskyy stated.
He also emphasized that the territories temporarily occupied by Russia are exactly that—temporarily occupied—and "they will never become Russian."
Zelenskyy’s visit to Finland
On Tuesday, March 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Finland. His plane landed at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
While speaking with journalists the same day, Zelenskyy stated that Russia has begun amassing its troops near the Sumy region’s border. The Russians are also preparing an offensive on multiple fronts.
Additionally, in early January, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s Defense Forces consist of 980,000 personnel, making the Ukrainian army the largest in Europe.
