Security guarantees with US must be signed before main peace document, - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasises that security guarantees with the US must be signed before the main peace agreement is concluded.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, Zelenskyy made this statement during a conversation with journalists.
Security guarantees
"I believe that if the document on security guarantees is ready and they are not a condition for something else, then it can be signed," Zelensky said.
He noted that he emphasised to the American side that signing security guarantees is important because society needs to see real progress.
…Much has been achieved, but people need to believe in this progress, because after such a difficult war, people's faith is low. They need something to rely on. In this case, the most a person can rely on is security guarantees," Zelenskyy emphasised.
The size of the Ukrainian army
According to him, the issue of the size of the Ukrainian army is part of society's belief in justice, and therefore also falls within the scope of security guarantees.
"And when we talk about the issue we have worked on – an army of 800,000 – it all comes down to our people's belief in justice. The army will be like that. The army's manpower is included in the security guarantee package with America. There is a military appendix that our military personnel compiled together, and it includes the appropriate weapons," the president explained.
He expressed hope that after the document is signed, information about the weapons Ukraine can count on will become public.
European partners
Regarding European partners, Zelenskyy clarified that they do not appear in this document, but are involved in another format.
"Europeans can help us finance some things. It is important that this is not just on paper," he said.
Zelenskyy emphasised that, in his opinion, the security guarantee documents must be signed before the final decisions are made.
And that is why I believe that these documents should be signed before the final decision is made. In my opinion, this is the right step," he added.
According to him, signing security guarantees is a sign of goodwill and does not imply automatic obligations without ending the war.
"My message was this: signing security guarantees is an act of goodwill. There is no need to fear that Ukraine will be given something, but Ukraine simply does not want to end the war. The logic is as follows: we sign, and then Congress ratifies. If we sign but do not end the war, Congress will not ratify anything," he explained.
He also noted that he sees no problem with the security guarantees taking effect after the war ends.
"What's the problem if it says that the security guarantees will take effect when the war ends? I don't see one. That's why Ukraine says that this element of our agreements is ready," Zelenskyy concluded.
What preceded it?
- Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the United States was offering Ukraine security guarantees in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas.
- According to Reuters, the United States stated that Ukraine would need to sign a peace agreement in order to receive security guarantees.
