Zelenskyy: Ukraine must secure clear security guarantees before any talks with Russia
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Before engaging in any negotiations with Russia, Ukraine must get clear security guarantees. Russian President Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to deceive everyone again, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the Ukrainian leader, he had a constructive and substantive conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. They discussed the upcoming meeting between Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which the role of Ankara in providing security guarantees was addressed.
"In this process, Ukraine needs broad representation from countries: Europe, including the UK and Türkiye, and the US," Zelenskyy said.
Rutte informed Zelenskyy about his meeting with the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg. The key messages from Kellogg align with Ukraine’s goal of achieving guaranteed peace, not just a temporary ceasefire. It is essential to ensure that Russia will not repeat its full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy and Rutte also discussed upcoming contacts with partners and coordinated the next steps.
"We cannot allow Putin to deceive everyone again. Before any potential negotiations, all partners must clearly understand that strong security guarantees are a priority for achieving lasting peace," Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy made these comments following ambiguous remarks from US President Donald Trump about the Ukrainian leader. Trump had mentioned Zelenskyy's low support among Ukrainians.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary oppose Ukraine's membership in NATO as one of the options for security guarantees.
At the same time, the head of the Ukrainian state noted that a significant strengthening of the Armed Forces could be an alternative to NATO. This implies doubling the number of soldiers.
