“I raised this issue with the President. I told him that we are already at war, and it has been for almost 15 years. Therefore, I really wanted the guarantees to be longer. I told him that we would really like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years,” Zelenskyy added.
The exact shape of the security guarantees remains unclear, though the U.S. has indicated it would mirror NATO’s Article 5 protections. Zelenskyy said he believes they would be credible if backed by the U.S. and supported by European allies.
“I believe that the presence of international troops is a real security guarantee, it is a strengthening of the security guarantees that our partners are already offering us,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelenskyy also said that the current 20-point plan needs to be supported by a referendum in Ukraine, but that would require 60 days of ceasefire — something Russia “does not want to give us.” On Saturday, Russia launched one of its heaviest attacks in recent weeks on Kyiv.
But an impasse remains over several issues, including the fate of Donbas, which Zelenskyy has proposed be turned into a demilitarized free economic zone, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed to claim the entire region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday reiterated that Ukraine “must leave Donbas to stop the hostilities” and said that Putin will hold another call with Trump “very soon.”
Zelenskyy said he wants to host a meeting between U.S., Ukrainian and European officials in Kyiv in the coming days.
Zelenskyy also confirmed that a meeting of Ukraine’s European allies will take place in Paris for early January, adding that a meeting with Russia is possible if the U.S. and Europe agree on a peace framework.