
Zelensky: US must be part of Ukraine peacekeeping forces
Kyiv • UNN
The Ukrainian president said that European allies do not have enough troops to deter Russia without the United States. Zelenskyy also called on China to influence Putin to end the war.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that any effective peacekeeping force deployed in Ukraine must include US troops. He said this in an interview with Bloomberg, UNN reports.
Details
Zelenskiy said that his European allies do not have enough soldiers to be a realistic deterrent to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and any other solution risks causing divisions in the NATO alliance.
Ukraine's president is reportedly trying to secure the support of his most important ally as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in his country gather momentum. He was reacting to the idea expressed on Tuesday that the military support of his European allies would be sufficient.
This is impossible without the United States. Even if some European friends think it is possible, no, it is not possible. No one will take risks without the United States
Zelenskyy is also reportedly trying to convince China to use its influence with Russia to help end the fighting, although he has expressed disappointment that he has not been able to communicate more often with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"He can push Putin to peace, I'm sure," he said. - "President Trump is the strongest - and Xi Jinping. I think there's no other ally that could really do that. His economy, Putin's, is very dependent on China.
Zelenskyy noted that, in his opinion, the agreement was made over the heads of Ukrainians during the Minsk talks in 2015.
"We don't want this to happen behind Ukraine's back," he said. - "I really believe that the United States will not do this, although I'm not sure it hasn't happened before. I'm talking here not only about America, but also about some European partners.
Trump returned to the White House this week, promising a quick end to the war in Ukraine, and plans to speak with Putin in the coming days.
Zelenskiy warns that without long-term commitments from Western allies, Putin will use the ceasefire as an opportunity to rearm before launching a future offensive.
At the same time, initial conversations with Trump's advisers have sparked cautious optimism among Ukraine's European allies about the new administration, and Zelenskiy has praised Trump's pledge to expand US energy exports as a way to put pressure on Moscow. He is eager to present the upcoming talks as an opportunity for Trump to demonstrate US strength.
"The end of the war should be Trump's victory, not Putin's," Zelensky said. - "Putin is nobody to him.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump called on the Russian president to end the war in Ukraine or face a new wave of punitive measures, including tariffs, taxes and sanctions. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way - and the easy way is always better," he wrote.
For Ukraine, as noted, the key to any agreement will be security guarantees from the US and Europe, which should be enough to deter the Kremlin from invading again. Zelenskiy has indicated that he wants to get these commitments from Trump before engaging directly with Putin.
"The only question is what are the security guarantees, and, frankly, I want to have an understanding before the negotiations," he said. - "If he can guarantee this strong and irreversible security for Ukraine, we will move along this diplomatic path.