KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the case on Monday (Dec 9) for a diplomatic settlement to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and raised the concept of international troops being deployed in his nation until it could join the NATO military alliance.
The remarks at a joint press convention with German opposition chief Friedrich Merz have been the newest to sign Kyiv’s growing openness to conflict negotiations, with Donald Trump getting ready to return to the White Home on Jan 20.
The US president-elect, who has mentioned he needs to finish the conflict rapidly, referred to as on Sunday for an instantaneous ceasefire and negotiations to end the “madness”, after he met Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.
“Ukraine needs this conflict to finish greater than anybody else. Little doubt, a diplomatic decision would save extra lives. We do search it,” Zelenskyy informed reporters in Kyiv on Monday.
Zelenskyy’s spokesperson Serhiy Nikiforov mentioned later that Kyiv was getting ready a December assembly of key European companions who along with the US have been “able to making certain the utmost strengthening of our state”.
The goal was to develop a joint place that might maintain robust each in negotiations and on the battlefield, he added.
Zelenskyy mentioned he had mentioned a “freezing” of the strains within the conflict when he met Macron and Trump. Russia controls almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 invasion that unleashed the largest battle in Europe since World Conflict II.
Zelenskyy mentioned he informed the 2 leaders that he didn’t consider Putin really wished to finish the conflict and that the Russian president needed to be pressured to make peace.
“You may solely exert pressure if Ukraine is robust. A powerful Ukraine earlier than any diplomacy means a powerful (Ukraine) on the battlefield,” he mentioned, implying Kyiv wanted assist to change into stronger.
He obtained a rhetorical enhance from Merz, the frontrunner within the election race to change into Germany’s subsequent chancellor, who used his go to to liken Berlin’s present coverage to creating Ukraine combat with one arm tied behind its again.