Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs US security guarantees as "only Trump has dialogue with Russia"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine needs security guarantees from the United States as currently "only President Trump has a dialogue with Russia".
Source: Zelenskyy at a press briefing following his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House
Details: Zelenskyy noted that on the European side, the security guarantees are "almost on paper", but Ukraine needs security guarantees from the United States.
Quote: "That's good that we discuss security guarantees and that the United States is not against the peace talk, and the European part is almost ready. It's almost on paper. I mean, it's really ready - what delivers can be from Europeans.
We discussed it from the point that we need United States security guarantees. We need the United States because only the United States now speaks with Russia. Only President Trump, he has dialogue with Russia, and this is very important.
We need strong security guarantees because I'm afraid, and I think that our nation is afraid, that if we have a cease fire, we need a security guarantee from the United States that Putin will not come again with aggression."
Previously: Zelenskyy also stated at the press briefing that the Ukrainian and American sides had decided not to speak publicly about long-range systems for now, adding that the United States does not want escalation. In addition, he said that the "Russians are afraid of Tomahawks" as a combination of weapon systems that Kyiv could receive from the United States.
The European Union is increasingly convinced that using frozen Russian assets is the only viable way to secure sustainable funding for Ukraine as other financial sources dry up.
Background:
- On 17 October, a bilateral meeting in the format of an official lunch was held at the White House between Zelenskyy and Trump.
- It was earlier reported that one of the key topics of the conversation between the two leaders would be the possible provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
- Following his conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said that the Russian ruler "didn't like" the idea of Tomahawk missiles being supplied to Ukraine.
- Before the lunch, Zelenskyy said he would propose a deal to the US president under which the US would supply Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles in exchange for Ukrainian drones.s.
- An Ukrainska Pravda source reported that the Ukrainian delegation presented their US counterparts with a map highlighting the "pain points" of Russia's defence industry and military economy during the bilateral lunch in Washington on 17 October.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!