Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Brussels discussed what security guarantees he considers acceptable for the country. In response to journalists’ questions, the head of state emphasized that the foundation of these guarantees is a strong Ukrainian army, which requires stable financial support and modern weapons.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The Role of Partners in Ensuring Security
According to Zelensky, the funding for Ukraine’s defense needs can be provided by Europe, while weapons will come from both domestic production and European partners. At the same time, certain types of weapons required by the Armed Forces of Ukraine are only available from the United States of America.
“Security guarantees mean a strong army, and that can only be provided by Ukraine. Funding for this army can only come from Europe. Weapons for this army can come from our domestic production and European production. However, there are critical items that are only available from the United States of America. This, I believe, constitutes security guarantees,” explained the President of Ukraine in response to a question from Radio Free Europe during a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Unresolved Security Issues and the West’s Position
The President stressed that many questions regarding security guarantees remain unresolved. Among them are the possibility of deploying Western troops on Ukrainian territory and the likelihood of Western countries closing the skies. Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian side expects clear answers to these requests in order to understand what future security guarantees will look like.
Separately, Zelensky commented on the statement made by the President of Russia following negotiations with the President of the United States, noting that he does not know the details of the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the U.S. At the same time, he emphasized that signals from President Trump regarding security guarantees are more significant to him than Putin’s words.
Zelensky also noted that the Russian side’s statements about a possible end to the occupation remain mere words, and specific details on this issue need to be discussed during a trilateral meeting with the Presidents of the U.S. and Russia.
During the upcoming meeting in Washington on August 18 with President Trump and European leaders, Zelensky plans to emphasize the necessity of achieving a ceasefire as a prerequisite for concluding a peace agreement. According to him, the Kremlin’s demands are still not fully understood, and they need to be examined without the pressure of weapons in order to adequately prepare the final document.
Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels to participate in the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, where he was greeted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The leaders held an official meeting and took joint photos.