Ukraine, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Turkey should be involved in negotiations to end the war and develop security guarantees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"For Ukraine, for Europe, it is of fundamental importance that any negotiations on ending the war do not take place behind the backs of key actors affected by the consequences of Russian aggression. Ukraine, Europe in the broad sense — and this includes the European Union, Turkey, and Britain — must be involved in the talks and develop, together with America, the necessary security guarantees that concern the fate of our part of the world," Zelensky said.
He emphasized that no mistakes can be made to ensure a reliable and lasting peace. Therefore, security guarantees for Ukraine should be provided by countries that can truly fulfill them. The President emphasizes that this is important in order to prevent a recurrence of war.
Regarding security guarantees, the president added that this could be NATO membership, but the US and a number of European countries do not support this. Therefore, a strong Ukrainian army and the presence of a foreign contingent in Ukraine remain.
Zelensky also reported that he was postponing his visit to Saudi Arabia from February 19 to March 10. This happened against the backdrop of todayʼs first talks between the American and Russian delegations.
"I donʼt know who will stay there, who will go, who is going where. I donʼt care. I donʼt care if our partners think something unnecessary about us. I donʼt want coincidences, and therefore I will not go to Saudi Arabia," Zelensky noted.
He stressed that Ukraine was not invited to these talks in Riyadh — it was a “surprise”. According to him, Russia is putting forward ultimatums that were voiced even before the start of the full-scale invasion. Zelensky is not going to carry out such a thing.
"And I have the impression that some negotiations are taking place now, and they are taking place with the same mood, but they are taking place between representatives of Russia and representatives of the United States of America. About Ukraine, again about Ukraine and without Ukraine. I wonder if we did not go for all these ultimatums at the most difficult moment, where does the feeling come from that Ukraine will go for it now," Zelensky said.
At the same time, President Erdogan said that Turkey could accept talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. He believes that his country should also be involved in the conversation about ending the war in Ukraine.
- On February 18, Russia and the United States held their first talks in Saudi Arabia. No specific date has been agreed upon for the meeting between Putin and Trump, which is unlikely to take place next week. However, the parties agreed to create negotiating groups to end the war in Ukraine.
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