Despite the vagaries and changes in Donald Trump’s position, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated this Thursday in Brussels that he “trusts the pressure from the United States” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. “The United States is the one that can really stop Putin, even if now it plays more of a mediator role,” he added. Zelensky traveled to the European capital where leaders of the 27 EU countries are meeting to discuss how to finance Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
The United States and its European allies have developed a security guarantee plan that contains measures to ensure that any peace agreement with Russia is maintained, as published by Bloomberg based on the statement by European and American officials. These guarantees would include an 800,000-strong frontline Ukrainian army as the first level of postwar deterrence, the United States would provide intelligence against any attempts to violate the peace deal while troops from a coalition of European nations would be stationed far from the front lines.
“I believe that the end of the war depends on security guarantees, because without security guarantees it does not mean the end. There will be certain pauses and then Russia, if it is ready, will return with more aggression,” Zelensky stressed.
The Ukrainian president explained that “Europe should not replace the United States. They are the ones who can really stop Putin. If American security guarantees are similar to those of NATO Article 5, European support will not be necessary.” This does not mean that Europe should be excluded from peace negotiations. Zelensky warned that “Russia wants to exclude the presence of Europeans, but the European presence will decrease the likelihood that Russia will attack again.”
Although U.S. officials have emphasized that the guarantees proposed in the peace plan are similar to NATO’s Article 5 promise of mutual defense, Zelensky stressed that a number of points make a deal impossible today: “Donbass is the problem that has not been resolved. Second, the nuclear power plant occupied by the Russians is not working, it has been destroyed. But it must work and produce energy. It’s our right. of Ukraine, that “Russia will do everything possible to block it”.
Precisely during this European Council, the financing of Ukraine is one of the main elements of discussion between the 27 EU countries. Zelensky called on the European Union to financially support Ukraine in its war against Russia. “If Ukraine is not supported, there is a good chance that it will not resist. Europe will no longer pay with money, but with blood.” Zelensky’s call coincides with the European summit where the 27 European countries must decide how they will finance Ukraine: using frozen Russian assets or borrowing together.
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