Kyiv:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Sunday that his country needs security from NATO and more weapons to protect itself before talks with Russia.
He made the comments after meeting with the EU's new foreign affairs chief, Kaja Callas, and EU Council President Antonio Costa, who had visited Kiev to show support on his first day in office.
“Inviting Ukraine to join NATO is necessary for our survival,” Zelenskiy said at a press conference with Costa.
Ukraine faces a harsh winter ahead as Russia unleashes a devastating barrage of fire on the power grid, leaving Kiev's exhausted and exhausted troops outnumbered on the front lines.
Questions also swirl about the future of U.S. aid after Donald Trump takes office in January, with fears that Kiev will be forced to make painful concessions in pursuit of a quick peace deal.
President Zelenskiy said Russia needed to take a “strong position” before talks with the Kremlin, calling for “progress with NATO” and a “significant number” of long-range weapons to defend itself. .
“Only if we get all these goods and become stronger, then we will have to set a very important agenda of meeting with one of the murderers,” the Ukrainian leader said, adding that the EU and NATO should do so, he added. Participate in any negotiations.
Costa said the European Union would give Ukraine “unwavering” support.
“We have supported you from day one in this war of aggression, and you can expect us to continue to support you,” he told Zelenskiy.
The European Union's new leadership team is keen to demonstrate that it remains committed to supporting Kiev at a perilous time for Ukraine, nearly three years after the fight against Russian aggression began.
Russian President Vladimir Putin this week threatened to attack government buildings in Kiev with new Oleshnik missiles after the United States authorized Ukraine to launch long-range ATACMS missiles at Russia for the first time.
On Sunday, Russian drones dropped explosives on a bus in the southern Kherson region, killing three people, authorities said, while Russian forces claimed to have captured two new frontline villages in the east. .
Truce?
President Zelenskiy appeared to begin asserting his position on Friday ahead of potential peace talks.
He called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to provide guaranteed protection to the part of Ukraine controlled by Kiev to “stop the hot phase of the war” and then take back other territories occupied by Russia. indicated that he intended to wait.
“Without a strong position on Ukraine, if the conflict freezes, Putin will come back within two, three or even five years,” Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
Karas told reporters during a visit to Ukraine that Kiev's “strongest security is NATO membership.”
“We need to have a serious discussion about this. If Ukraine has decided to draw the line somewhere, how can we ensure peace so that Putin cannot go any further?” she said. spoke.
But NATO diplomats say there is little hope that the alliance will admit Ukraine any time soon, given opposition from many member states wary of getting drawn into a war with Russia.
President Zelenskiy insisted that Kiev was not “delusional” about its prospects with NATO, acknowledging the strong reluctance of US President Joe Biden and leaders of countries such as Hungary.
“Transaction language”
Karas said the EU “actually shouldn't rule out anything” on the issue of sending European troops to help implement the ceasefire.
“We have to have strategic ambiguity in this regard,” she said.
President Trump questioned the continued large-scale aid provided by the United States to Ukraine and called for further assistance from EU countries.
Europe has collectively spent about $125 billion aiding Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022, according to trackers from the Kiel Institute, while the United States alone has coughed up more than $90 billion.
Karas said the EU would use “transactional language” to convince Trump that aiding Kiev was in the United States' interest.
“Aid to Ukraine is not charity,” she said. “Russia's victory will definitely encourage China, Iran and North Korea.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
