Zelenskyy hails Europe's support, says Ukraine must lead all territorial talks
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
European partners support Ukraine's position that state borders should not be changed by force. Any territorial issues will be discussed by Ukraine only in a trilateral meeting, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Following an online session of the Coalition of the Willing in Brussels on August 17, Zelenskyy said Europe backs Ukraine's positions.
"Clear support for Ukraine's independence and sovereignty. Everyone agrees that state borders must not be changed by force. Everyone supports that key issues must be resolved with Ukraine participating in a trilateral format: Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian leadership," he said.
The President added that the US decision to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine can be called "historic." However, the guarantees must be practical and protect land, in the air, and at sea. Europe should also be involved in developing these guarantees.
"Of course, we discussed how to stop the killings as quickly as possible. We are working on a shared vision of what a peace agreement should look like — truly fair, fast, and effective," Zelenskyy concluded.
Washington is expected to host "tense talks"
President Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Monday, August 18, to discuss the details of ending the war with President of the United States Donald Trump. A number of European leaders will accompany him.
The conversation in the US is expected to be difficult, a point indirectly suggested by Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. He said that during the White House meeting with Zelenskyy, the territory swap issue would be discussed.
Witkoff also claimed that Russia allegedly agreed to US security guarantees for Ukraine and would legally commit not to attack European countries. He added that the Kremlin had supposedly "made some concessions" — in his words, Russia agreed "not to occupy all of Ukraine."
The situation had to be clarified by US Secretary of State Mark Rubio. He assured that Ukraine is not ready to cede its territories, and the US is not pressuring Kyiv to give up all regions occupied by Russia. Rubio did, however, suggest that "the only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something and each side to give something."
