Zelenskyy on security guarantees and ending war with Russia

Following the end of the war, Ukraine’s security guarantees should function similarly to NATO’s Article 5, which provides for collective security and defense in the event of an attack on one member state, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen.

“It is important that the United States agrees to cooperate with Europe in providing security guarantees, and we are grateful to the U.S. for such a signal. This is a significant change, but there are no details yet on how it will work, what the role of the U.S. and Europe will be, or what the EU can do. This is our main concern — we need security to work in practice, in line with NATO’s Article 5,” Zelenskyy said.

He noted that the Russian side has many demands, and fully discussing them will take time. This cannot be done under the pressure of arms; therefore, a ceasefire is necessary to begin work promptly on a final agreement.

The Ukrainian president also stated that negotiations on ending the war with Russia must take place under the current frontline conditions. He is prepared to discuss territorial issues only directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia.

At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine’s Constitution makes it impossible to give up any territory or engage in territorial exchanges.