Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that he has yet to receive an “unequivocal answer” from European allies about how they would defend Kyiv in case Russia attacks the country even after the peace deal is reached.
Zelenskiy made the remarks on January 7 when asked by journalists whether he was convinced that the UK, France and Germany would protect Ukraine whether Russia attacked again.
“I ask exactly this question of all our partners. And so far, I have not received a clear and straightforward answer. I see political will and that partners are ready to provide us with strong security guarantees. But until we have such security guarantees - legal ones, backed by parliaments and the U.S. Congress - this question cannot be answered,” Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskyy added that even if Ukraine receives strong security guarantees, it must first and foremost rely on its own Armed Forces. He said the first guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army numbering 800,000 troops.
Zelenskiy’s remarks came two days after the Coalition of the Willing and the United States signed a joint declaration, agreeing on key security guarantees for Kyiv, including a European force that would be deployed after a ceasefire with Russa. The United Stated backed the security guarantees for Ukraine, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff saying after the summit that President Donald Trump “strongly stands behind security protocols”. Zelenskyi, writing on Telegram after the Paris meeting, said the agreements are “a signal of how seriously Europe and the entire coalition of the willing are ready to work for real security”.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *