In an hour-long interview with The Guardian (UK), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that the US security guarantee for the Eastern European country is irreplaceable.
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with The Guardian in Kiev on February 11. (Source: The Guardian) |
Just ahead of an important trip to attend the Munich Security Conference, taking place in Germany on February 14-16 and meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, President Zelensky warned that if the US withdraws support for Ukraine, Europe will not be able to fill the void on its own.
Speaking in the interview, the leader made it clear: "There are opinions that Europe can give security guarantees without the United States and I always say no. Security guarantees without the United States are not real security guarantees."
'Fat bait'
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the conflict in Ukraine, but many fear that a Washington-brokered deal could force Kiev to give in to Russian President Vladimir Putin's maximalist demands.
For his part, the Ukrainian leader has said he is ready to negotiate, but wants the Eastern European country to have an advantage in the negotiations. For that reason, he has proposed giving post-war reconstruction rights to American companies in an attempt to gain support from the 47th owner of the White House.
President Zelensky said: "Those who help us protect the country will have the opportunity to rebuild Ukraine together with domestic businesses. We are ready to discuss all this in detail."
The head of a country embroiled in conflict with Russia now faces a new challenge: US President Donald Trump, who is deeply skeptical about continuing aid to Kiev.
Earlier, in an interview with Fox News, which aired on the evening of February 10, Mr. Trump said: “They (Russia-Ukraine) may or may not make a deal. One day, they (Ukraine) may or may not be part of Russia. But we spent a lot of money (aiding Kiev) and I want that money back."
Faced with this reality, in addition to the familiar messages about geopolitical risks if Russia wins in Ukraine, President Zelensky added a new message, specifically for Mr. Trump, with the idea that the US will have priority access to the "rare earth minerals" of the Eastern European country.
Indeed, this has attracted the attention of the head of the White House, so much so that he has mentioned it several times in recent interviews. Notably, on February 11, Mr. Trump announced that he would send US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky. Reuters commented that the trip was to discuss rare earth mineral resources.
According to the Ukrainian president, the country has the largest reserves of uranium and titanium in Europe and that these resources falling into the hands of Russia - potentially to be shared with North Korea, China or Iran - "does not serve the interests of the United States".
Don't trust Europe?
Also in an interview with The Guardian , the Ukrainian President affirmed that US military support is a key factor for the Eastern European country's security, especially Patriot air defense systems.
"Only Patriot can protect us from all types of missiles. Other European systems cannot provide comprehensive protection... So this small example alone shows that without the United States, security guarantees cannot be complete," the leader said.
However, President Trump has made public his consistent message that Europe should be responsible for maintaining peace in Ukraine after the conflict ends, while French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested the possibility of deploying a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached.
On this issue, Mr. Zelensky said: "If this is part of a security guarantee, it is acceptable, but there must be 100,000-150,000 European troops. Even then, we still cannot be on par with the Russian army."
Even so, Europe remains far from agreeing on deploying combat-ready troops to Ukraine – a move that Russian President Putin would be unlikely to accept in negotiations.
The leader also openly expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of international peacekeeping forces led by the United Nations, reaffirming: "We will accept a peacekeeping force if it is part of the security guarantee and I emphasize that, without the United States, this is impossible."
Exchange territory for territory
Mr Zelensky revealed that if President Trump really brings Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, he will propose to Moscow a direct territorial exchange deal, giving up the land that Kiev has controlled in Russia's Kursk region since launching a surprise attack six months ago.
"We will exchange this territory for another," the leader said, however, he did not specify which regions Ukraine would ask to get back: "All our territories are important, there is no priority."
The conflict in Ukraine is still ongoing and the future of this country depends largely on the actions of the great powers, especially the United States. In the context of US President Trump not expressing a clear stance, President Zelensky clearly understands that he needs to adjust his diplomatic strategy, both maintaining relations with Washington and seeking stronger support from Europe to create the strongest position for Kiev before sitting at the negotiating table with Moscow.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-ukraine-tung-loi-ich-beo-bo-niu-chan-my-tuyen-bo-co-the-doi-lanh-tho-lay-lanh-tho-long-tin-vao-chau-au-sau-den-dau-304015.html
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