Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States raised the possibility of a new European security framework as efforts continue to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe as part of efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, warning that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape borders.
“In my view, this can be dangerous,” Zelenskyy told reporters Friday, adding that it “should not be the main agenda.” His comments were embargoed until Saturday.
Zelenskyy said the United States asked, for the first time, whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO.
He said he believes Moscow is interested in reopening broader questions about European security rather than focusing only on ending the 4 1/2-year war. Zelenskyy said Putin’s aim to change borders is “a fact” and described it as part of an effort to revise security guarantees in Europe.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive security package with partners that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, support over a specified period for Ukraine’s military and finances, and a recovery plan. He said that if the American side confirms that approach with other NATO partners, he would ask Ukrainian society whether to accept it.
He stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing occupied territories as Russian, and he rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying doing so would require changing Ukraine’s constitution.
Zelenskyy also warned that broader discussions about Europe’s security could lead to changes to NATO’s military presence, including the possible withdrawal of American troops. He said Putin had raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021 and said Putin may bring up issues including Finland and Sweden, Hungary, and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries.
He said any changes to Europe’s security arrangements must be decided by European NATO members only after the war ends, describing the sequence as “a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine,” and saying “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s priorities in negotiations in Abu Dhabi include an energy ceasefire, reopening the Black Sea, prisoner releases, and preparations for a meeting between leaders to end the war.
He said Russian negotiators lacked authority to decide on several issues and that they were unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire, adding that negotiators were told to resolve ceasefire questions directly with Putin.
Zelenskyy said discussions in Moscow with U.S. negotiators led to an agreement on a prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 people on each side, with the exact number still being determined and estimated at 1,200 to 1,300.
He also said he expects between three and five European representatives to participate in future discussions, and he said Britain, France, Germany and Italy were among the countries represented at the Abu Dhabi meetings.
Separately, Zelenskyy accused SpaceX of imposing restrictions on its Starshield satellite system in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory that have limited Ukrainian efforts to intercept Russian drones, saying the system’s speed was restricted to a maximum of 161 kph (100 mph) and that the limitations had been in place for five days.
He said the restrictions prevented Ukrainian forces from intercepting Russian jet-powered Shahed drones over occupied territory as they approached from the east, forcing forces to wait until the drones reached areas where the limitations did not apply, and he questioned the explanation that the problem was technical. “The current Starshield restrictions suggest that SpaceX imposed them,” he said. “That’s what our team is telling me. So this doesn’t quite line up with what we heard earlier. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of all this.”
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