Zelensky rejects immediate ceasefire and asks the US and EU for a “real plan” with guarantees against Putin

He affirms that Putin “loves to kill” and is a “danger” for the whole world after the “duel” with missiles proposed this Thursday

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected this Thursday an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine that would freeze the conflict, insisting that the United States and the European Union design a “real plan” to end the war that includes “security guarantees.” “.

“We have to understand that we cannot live with a frozen conflict. In every war, people know what will happen tomorrow before agreeing to a ceasefire, otherwise you only freeze the conflict. That is why we ask for security guarantees,” Zelensky stated in press conference from Brussels after participating in the summit of EU leaders, to whom he has asked for unity to, together with the American president-elect, Donald Trump, design a plan that guarantees the security of Ukraine after a hypothetical agreement.

Regarding this ceasefire, Zelensky has warned that Ukraine has to have support to deter future Russian aggression. “If we have a ceasefire and everyone is happy but Putin comes back in two months, in six, in a year or two. Then we will all lose and I don’t want it, I don’t know what we would do then. We need a real plan, a strong position and I count on the unity of the United States and the European Union,” he said.

Zelensky has defended a “stable” peace in Ukraine, to which the American president-elect has contributed since January. “He is a strong man and I want to have him on our side. It is important to discuss more details of the war with him,” he explained.

All despite the fact that he has criticized that Russia “is not interested” in a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, after denouncing that Putin “loves to kill” and is a “danger” for the entire world, after referring to the last Kremlin threat of a “high-tech duel” with hypersonic missiles.

“MECHANISM” OF GUARANTEES SUPPORTED BY THE EU AND THE US

The Ukrainian president did not want to detail in public what the security guarantees that he demands from European leaders would consist of, an agreement in which he also points the finger at Washington. “There are no decisions yet because it is important to have both on board,” he declared, although he insisted that these guarantees “should not be artificial” but rather a “mechanism” that will serve as support for Ukraine until its entry into NATO. , which in Ukrainian eyes is the “ultimate guarantee.”

In this context, the initiative of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to deploy a future peace mission with European troops in Ukraine has gained weight in the debates, a project that he has said he supports although he has asked for more details about the future contingent such as how many troops and what they would do in the face of a Russian attack. “There are many questions that arise, but it is important that this is talked about and that we discuss this,” he said.

The summit of leaders of the 27 is preceded by the meeting organized by the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, at his residence to bring together the Ukrainian president with a group of European leaders of the Alliance, a format in which the president was not present. of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, but leaders from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

European sources indicate that the debate at Rutte’s residence focused on military and economic support for the country, with the priority placed on delivering more air defense systems and redoubling the training and equipment of Ukrainian brigades. Before the meeting, Zelensky underlined his request for “security guarantees” to European allies “for today and tomorrow” in addition to a “united” position to reinforce Ukraine with more anti-aircraft defenses and weapons in the face of the wave of Russian attacks against targets. civil and infrastructure.

INTENSIFY MILITARY AID AND SANCTIONS

In the conclusions of the summit, the EU heads of state and government call for “urgently intensified efforts” for the delivery of air defense systems, ammunition and missiles.

They also commit to the “supply of the necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades” and reiterate the importance of “intensifying” work to develop the Ukrainian Defense industry and deepen its cooperation with the European Defense sector.

The leaders of the 27 reiterate that the EU “remains ready to intensify pressure on Russia, including by adopting new sanctions”, and point out that Russian assets in the EU will remain immobilized until the Kremlin ends its aggression and pays compensation for the war damage.