Zelenskyy insisted that any steps to secure peace in Ukraine would have to involve the might of the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged European countries to provide guarantees to protect Ukraine after the war with Russia ends, but said these would not be enough without support from the United States under Donald Trump.
While the fighting triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion continues, Western and Ukrainian officials have begun discussing post-war scenarios, prompted in part by President-elect Trump’s pledge to bring the conflict to a swift conclusion.
Addressing a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday, Zelenskyy welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to deploy troops to Ukraine following an eventual ceasefire.
He told the leaders it was “crucial for Europe to make a significant contribution to security guarantees”.
“We support France’s initiative for a military contingent in Ukraine as part of these guarantees and call on other partners to join this effort, it will help bring the war to an end,” he told the closed-door meeting, according to a text posted on his website.
But Zelenskyy insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the might of the United States. “I believe that the European guarantees won’t be sufficient for Ukraine,” he said after the talks.
Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump’s return means the volatile Republican could cut support for Ukraine’s military and force Zelenskyy to make painful concessions to Moscow.
Ukraine’s EU backers, fearful of being left on the sidelines, insist they want to step up support to put Kyiv in a position of strength for any potential negotiations.
No Russian gas transit
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine would not consider continued transit of Russian gas.
Ukraine has previously ruled out extending a contract to transit Russian gas, via Ukraine, to Europe, which is due to expire at the end of the year. Slovakia, one of the recipients of the gas, has been racing to prolong the deal.
“We would not prolong the transit of Russian gas. We will not give the possibility of additional billions to be earned on our blood, on the lives of our citizens,” Zelenskyy told a news conference.
“If the country is ready to give us the gas, but not to pay the money back to Russia until the end of the war, then it’s a possible potentiality. We can think about it.
The European Commission has said it is ready for the contract to expire, and all countries receiving Russian fuel via the Ukraine route have access to alternative supplies.
Zelenskyy lambasted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has warned of the economic hit his country will face if it loses cheap gas from Russia.
“To be honest, during war, it’s a bit shameful to talk about money, because we are losing people,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said he told Fico on Thursday that Ukraine would be open to carrying another country’s gas through its infrastructure to reach Europe – but it would need assurances that this was not merely re-labelled Russian fuel.
“We have to know that we will only transit gas if it’s not coming from Russia,” Zelenskyy said.