Zelensky makes case for diplomatic end to war
Published: 05:12 PM,Dec 09,2024 | EDITED : 09:12 PM,Dec 09,2024
Firefighters work at the site of a car maintenance workshop heavily damaged by a Russian air strike, in Zaporizhzhia. — Reuters
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky made the case on Monday for a diplomatic settlement to Russia's 33-month-old war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the Nato military alliance. The remarks at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kyiv's increasing openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing to return to the White House on January 20. The US president-elect, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the 'madness', after he met Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.
'Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it,' Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Monday. He said he discussed a 'freezing' of the lines in the war when he met Macron and Trump. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 attack that unleashed the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Zelensky said he told the two leaders that he did not believe Putin actually wanted to end the war and that the Russian president would need to be forced. 'You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield,' he said, implying Kyiv needed help to become stronger.
FOREIGN TROOPS
Zelensky also returned to an idea raised in February by Macron, who floated the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. There was no consensus on the matter among the European leaders. 'We can think and work on Emmanuel's position. He suggested that some part of troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in Nato,' Zelensky said. 'But we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in Nato,' he added. Kyiv, which has made a concerted push to obtain an invitation to join Nato, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia launching another attack once the current hostilities are halted. 'If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in Nato, and even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in Nato, and there will be a pause, then who guarantees us any kind of security?' Zelensky asked at the press conference. Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its Nato ambitions and sees Kyiv's membership of the alliance as an unacceptable security threat. — Reuters
'Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it,' Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Monday. He said he discussed a 'freezing' of the lines in the war when he met Macron and Trump. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 attack that unleashed the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Zelensky said he told the two leaders that he did not believe Putin actually wanted to end the war and that the Russian president would need to be forced. 'You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield,' he said, implying Kyiv needed help to become stronger.
FOREIGN TROOPS
Zelensky also returned to an idea raised in February by Macron, who floated the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. There was no consensus on the matter among the European leaders. 'We can think and work on Emmanuel's position. He suggested that some part of troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in Nato,' Zelensky said. 'But we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in Nato,' he added. Kyiv, which has made a concerted push to obtain an invitation to join Nato, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia launching another attack once the current hostilities are halted. 'If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in Nato, and even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in Nato, and there will be a pause, then who guarantees us any kind of security?' Zelensky asked at the press conference. Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its Nato ambitions and sees Kyiv's membership of the alliance as an unacceptable security threat. — Reuters