Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he was willing to give up his position if it meant peace in Ukraine, quipping that he could exchange his departure for Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
Zelensky also said he wanted to see U.S. President Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
“I really want it to be more than just mediation… that’s not enough,” he told a press conference in Kyiv.
Zelensky wants ‘understanding’ and ‘security guarantees’ from Trump
Zelensky said he wants Donald Trump to “understand” his position and come through with concrete security guarantees to help Kyiv defend itself against the Russian invasion.
“I want very much from Trump understanding of each other,” Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv, adding: “Security guarantees from Trump are much needed.”
Ukraine ‘making progress’ with US on resources deal: Zelensky
Zelensky said that Kyiv and Washington were nearer to an agreement on US access to Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for security assistance.
“We are making progress,” Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv, adding that Ukrainian and US officials had been in touch about the deal earlier in the day.
Zelensky hopes allies’ visit will be ‘turning point’
Zelensky said he hoped meetings with visiting foreign leaders on Monday — the third anniversary of the Russian invasion — would mark a “turning point”.
“We have an important meeting tomorrow, a summit. Maybe it will be a turning point, we’ll see. We will have 13 leaders offline. There will also be 24 leaders online,” he said during a press conference in Kyiv.