Zelenskyy refutes Rubio’s statement: Ukraine can receive security guarantees from US after withdrawing from Donbas
Ukraine will be able to secure security guarantees from the US not before a ceasefire, but after Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Donbas.
According to Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine, this was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a video conference with journalists on Saturday.
The tip of the iceberg
"Most of the iceberg is hidden from view, but believe me, I have shown the tip. I am speaking completely frankly… You can take different views on this, but all the signals throughout the entire negotiation process suggest – and this is not just my analysis, it sounds absolutely correct – that we will be able to obtain security guarantees from the US not before a ceasefire, not before the end of the war, but after our troops withdraw from Donbas," the president noted.
What Ukraine wants
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine wants to sign security guarantees before the end of the war, as well as a reconstruction package. These guarantees will come into effect following a vote in Congress, and Congress will vote only after the war has ended.
Conditions for ending the war
"However, we were told that the question is not when this comes into force, but when these guarantees are given to us. The guarantees will be given to us only after we withdraw from Donbas. And that is the condition for ending the war today," the president added.
He stressed that the risks of Russia launching a new aggression are high enough, which is why Ukraine needs security guarantees.
The US is not putting pressure on Ukraine
At the same time, Zelenskyy refuted reports that the US is allegedly putting pressure on Ukraine.
"It may simply have been perceived as though the Americans were pressuring us to withdraw and only then would they provide guarantees. But I am not saying that they are pressuring us. And I have never said that. Neither publicly nor otherwise," he said.
What preceded this?
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the US had linked its proposal on security guarantees to the condition that Kyiv hand over the entire Donbas to Russia.
- For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed as a lie Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that Washington was prepared to provide security guarantees in exchange for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas.
