Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently gave an interview in which he discussed the country‘s need for robust security guarantees, particularly from the United States. He emphasized that any security guarantees without US involvement would be weak and that Europeans are looking to the US president’s opinion on this matter.
Zelensky also touched on the possibility of European peacekeepers being deployed in Ukraine, a proposal made by French President Emmanuel Macron. While welcoming ideas surrounding this initiative, Zelensky underscored the necessity of broader European participation and emphasized that any potential path forward to permanent security guarantees must be through NATO membership.
Interestingly, Zelensky expressed that if Trump is strong in his position on Ukraine, the war may end quickly, and he believes Trump’s position should fall in line with those of European allies. However, despite this possibility, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine’s priority remains accession into the NATO military alliance.
In recent months, Ukraine has shifted its rhetoric to suggest that while accession to NATO is still on the agenda, diplomatic efforts currently focus on obtaining strong security guarantees.