Zelensky called for ‘strengthening our air defense, supporting our army, and ensuring effective security guarantees’ among allies in attempting to achieve a peace deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed three areas of focus for Ukraine and its allies in attempting to achieve a peace deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
In a social media post, Zelensky called for “strengthening our air defense, supporting our army, and ensuring effective security guarantees” to make “the return of Russian aggression impossible”. The Ukrainian leader said “Ukraine is fighting for the normal and safe life it deserves, for a just and reliable peace” and insisted he wants the war to end, but “Russia does not”.
Zelensky said there had been over 1,050 drone attacks, and clsoe to 1,300 aerial bombs over the past week, with a further 20 missiles “launched at Ukraine to destroy cities and kill people”. The Ukrainian leader again suggested Putin did not want an end to the war following his bloody invasion three years ago, despite US President Donald Tump saying he was convinced the maligned Russian president “wants peace”.
“Those who seek negotiations do not deliberately strike civilians with ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said. “To force Russia to stop its attacks, we need greater collective strength from the world.”
European leaders rallied to show support for Urkaine following an extraordinary row in the White House Oval Office on Friday. Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with world war three” and said he had not expressed enough thanks for US aid in defending his country against Putin’s invasion.
Following an emergency defence summit held by Sir Keir Starmer in London over the weekend, officials have been keen to suggest there are a number of options on the table. Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said various options were on the table but insisted no plan had been agreed after France’s president Emmanuel Macron said his country and Britain were backing the prospect of a limited ceasefire.
But he appeared to signal that military deployments to Ukraine from European countries would be possible even without the US backstop sought by the Prime Minister and allies. Asked whether troops could be sent to Kyiv with or without an American guarantee, he said: “Military deployments are possible. But the point is, we want a durable and lasting peace.
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday morning, Mr Pollard distanced the Government from claims that a Franco-British proposal for a one-month truce covering air, sea and attacks on critical infrastructure had been presented to the summit. “No agreement has been made on what a truce looks like, and so I don’t recognise the precise part you mentioned there,” he told Times Radio.
“And this is where it’s really important to understand the distinction between a short pause, which might be able to be achieved, but that doesn’t sustain a durable peace, because there’s a genuine worry by President Zelensky and the Ukrainians that a short pause will simply allow the Russian forces to reconstitute, to rearm, to regroup and then to attack again.”
His message appeared at odds with that of Eleonore Caroit, a deputy in the French National Assembly for the Renaissance party and vice president of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that plans for a ceasefire in Ukraine sent “a very strong message” and showed that “if we want, we can do something”.
“It’s not despair but seeing your strongest and longest ally, the US, have the attitude that they had a few days ago is of concern of course,” she said. “And this shows that we’re capable of making proposals and that these proposals can lead somewhere.”
Sir Keir, meaniwhile, is due to update MPs on his meeting with the US president in Washington last week and his conversations with European counterparts on Sunday.
