President Volodymyr Zelensky held a conversation with journalists. He spoke about the candidates for the position of the new head of the Presidentʼs Office (OP), the American peace plan, and answered questions from Babel.
Zelensky answered questions from journalists on the plane after meeting with EU leaders in London.
Zelensky said who he is considering for the position of new head of the Presidentʼs Office
- Among the options are the Defense Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the head of GUR Kyrylo Budanov. Also being considered are the candidacies of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsa and the Deputy Head of Presidentʼs Office Pavlo Palisa.
- The president said the decision is complicated by the need to think about who will replace these people in their positions. He also said that if the decision on the candidate takes a long time, he will be able to make the decision himself, without the head of the opposition party.
Territorial concessions
- In response to Babelʼs question, the president replied that Ukraine has no right "under the Constitution, international and moral law" to cede its territories. He also said that the Americans are looking for a compromise between Russiaʼs demands that Ukraine cede territories and Ukraineʼs fight for them.
American peace plan
- Zelensky believes that President Trump really wants to end the war, but he has "his own vision" that differs from Ukraineʼs. For Ukraine, it is important "on what basis" the war will end — so that there is no risk of re-invasion.
- The president announced that the American “peace plan” had been reduced from 28 to 20 points — “points that were frankly not pro-Ukrainian” had disappeared. The issues of territories where no compromise was found, the question of where European funds should be attracted, and the question of security guarantees remain.
- According to the president, the peace plan will be finalized — it will probably be ready tomorrow and sent to the Americans. He also added that he has asked Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to work on the economic block of the plan.
Frozen Russian assets and arms supplies via PURL
- Zelensky commented on the possibility of providing Ukraine with a loan using frozen Russian assets. The president said that Ukraine is counting on a tranche, but it is unclear whether it will be a reparations loan or some alternative.
- The president believes that the Americans will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine under the PURL program — because “they make money and it suits their current policy”. Currently, Ukraine purchases mainly air defense equipment under the PURL program. The program requires $15 billion per year. This year, $800 million is currently missing, although $1.5 billion was missing: the Netherlands allocated another $700 million.
Zelenskyʼs meeting with Polish President Nawrotski
- Zelensky told reporters that he was “happy” to meet with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom he had not seen since Nawrocki’s inauguration in August. He said he invited him to Ukraine by phone and suggested that he choose a date.
- The President of Ukraine received a signal that he was invited by his Polish counterpart, but the Polish side needs to name the date. Also, the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry Radosław Sikorski was present via video link at the second part of todayʼs meeting in London.
China and Russiaʼs war against Ukraine
- Zelensky does not see that China would benefit from ending the war. Due to the Sino-American confrontation, China does not benefit from a weak Russia. This does not mean that China directly supports Russia with weapons, but it does not benefit from ending the war. Intelligence reported to the president that China is supplying Russia with machine tools and "other things", but he was not informed about direct arms supplies.
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