President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is seeking a diplomatic solution to Russia's war in Ukraine and has floated the idea of deploying foreign troops to his country until it can join the NATO military alliance.
Those statements, which Zelensky made at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, were the latest to signal Kiev's openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump set 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 meeting with Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, reports A2.
"Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone. Without a doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We demand it," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kiev on Monday.
Returning to the idea floated in February by Macron, who talked about the possibility of sending troops from European countries to Ukraine, but that there was no consensus among European leaders, Zelenskiy asked that part of the troops of one country be on the territory of Ukraine to ensure safety, writes A2.
"We can think and work on Emmanuel's position. He suggested that part of the troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee our security, while Ukraine is not in NATO. But we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in NATO," Zelenskiy said.
Kiev, which has sought to join NATO, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia from launching another invasion once current hostilities cease.
"If there will be a pause until Ukraine is not in NATO, even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in NATO, then who guarantees us any kind of security? Zelenskiy asked at the press conference.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and sees Kiev's membership in the alliance as an unacceptable security threat.
(A2 Televizion)
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