Ending the war in Ukraine and the issue of providing security guarantees to Kiev were at the center of the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his American counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on Friday afternoon.
The president of Ukraine at a press conference he gave after the end of the meeting characterized the meeting “productive”however he avoided mentioning the possibility of delivery of American Tomahawk missiles to his country. He clarified, however, that the two leaders discussed long-range weapons, but both decided not to make public statements about that discussion because “US does not want escalation with Russia.”
Volodymyr Zelensky also said he contacted European leaders by phone, informing them about his meeting with the US president.
“We believe Trump wants to end the war”Zelensky initially said.
“We discussed long-range missiles, but I don’t want to make a statement on that. We decided not to talk because (…) the US does not want escalation,” he said. “We need to work on it more”he added.
Speaking in Ukrainian, Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine is unable to fight using existing air defense systems against Russian ballistic missiles.
“It’s very difficult”he said. “Ukraine needs to put pressure on Russia with a strong arms package to achieve its goals,” while he added that the United States would be able to acquire Ukrainian drones, implying that his country could offer its drones in exchange for Tomahawk missiles.
Russia “fears” Ukraine’s Tomahawk acquisition
The Ukrainian president also stated that he is “realistic” about the possibility of delivering US Tomahawk missiles to his country, stressing that his US counterpart does not wish further “escalation” with Russia.
Ukraine has for weeks claimed the delivery of Tomahawks – long-range missiles capable of being used in attacks deep inside Russian territory – and Kiev had highlighted the issue as a key item on the agenda of Zelensky’s visit to Washington.
The day before, Trump had a long phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to meet soon in Budapest.
Zelensky was asked what he thinks Putin is getting out of his meeting with Trump in Budapest. “Does he want a deal or is he just buying time?”a reporter asked.
“I don’t know,” answered Zelensky. “But the prospect of Ukraine getting a Tomahawk has made Russia afraid, because it’s a powerful weapon”.
“They know what kind of weapons we have and they understand that combination with the Tomahawks … they understand what we can do.”he added.
When also asked if he leaves Washington today more optimistic that Ukraine will acquire the Tomahawks, he simply replied: “I’m a realist”.
Talks on territory are too ‘sensitive’
Asked for his thoughts on whether Ukraine can regain the territories it lost to Russia, the Ukrainian president said it was a “very difficult and sensitive issue”.
“Russia wants to occupy all of Ukraine”he said. “He wants a deal where he keeps all the land he’s won. This is contrary to our position“, he emphasized
“First, we need a ceasefire,” he added. “So we have to sit down and talk and figure out where we stand. This is the most important step.”
Referring to the American president, Zelensky said that Trump “he understands the importance of the territorial issue in any ceasefire talks.”
After thanking the American president, he expressed his confidence in him and the hope that Trump will be able to help end the war in Ukraine, as he did in the Gaza Strip.
“We trust President Trump that he wants to end this war. It’s hard, but brokering a Middle East truce was also hard, but Trump managed it.”he added.
“Putin hates me”
“It’s no secret”Zelensky reported. “As Trump said, Putin he hates me.”
When asked if he himself hates Putin, Zelensky replied that it is understandable that he himself would have similar feelings about the Russian president.
“It’s not about feelings…we were attacked [οι Ρώσοι] – and he is the enemy… surely we hate the enemy”he added in Ukrainian.
Ukraine needs security guarantees
The Ukrainian president has once again called for “security guarantees” for his country and appeared “open” to a possible three-way summit with Trump and Putin to reach an agreement to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is positive that the US is not against providing security guarantees”the Ukrainian president answered a related question.
“The European agreement on security guarantees is almost ready,” he said. “But Ukraine needs security guarantees from the US” he added, noting that the Trump administration “it is the only one that has an active dialogue with Russia.”
“We need strong security guarantees because I’m afraid, and our nation is afraid,” he said. “Ukraine wants assurances that Russia will not attack it again in the event of a ceasefire.”
Some European countries have already offered forces to Ukraine to help bolster any truce brokered by Trump. But Kiev fears that without American support, these forces will not be enough to deter Russia from any future re-invasion of Ukraine.
The issue of US guarantees was also at the center of talks between European leaders at the White House in August after the Alaska summit, but whether the Trump administration would provide security guarantees to Ukraine remained unclear.
Source :Skai
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