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President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was open to the diplomatic end almost three years of war with Russia and the potential deployment of Western troops Ukraine.
“Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. There is no doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We are asking for it,” Zelensky told reporters in Kiev yesterday.
On the deployment of Western troops inside Ukrainesaid: “A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine as long as it is not part of Nato. But for that we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes a member of the EU and when of NATO.”
His remarks come just a day after he said about 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers was killed in the war and that there were 370,000 wounded soldiers, which reveals a rare number of war dead.
A day earlier, US President-elect Trump said that Kiev had lost around 400,000 soldiers and that “Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness.
Zelensky presents the idea of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine before NATO membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday floated the idea of deploying foreign troops to war-torn Ukraine until the country joins the NATO military alliance.
He said this during a joint press conference in Kiev with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, as Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House intensifies talks about a possible deal to end the war.
“A contingent of troops from one or another country could be present in Ukraine as long as it is not part of NATO. But for that, we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes a member of the EU and when it becomes a NATO member,” Zelenski said.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 03:50
Zelensky is open to the idea of Western troops in Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open to the potential deployment of Western troops to Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security as part of efforts to end the nearly three-year war with Russia.
“There could be a contingent of troops from one country or another present in Ukraine as long as it is not part of NATO. But for that we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes a member of the EU and when it becomes a member of NATO,” said Zelensky. in addition to German opposition leader Friedrich Merz in Kiev.
Zelensky emphasized that even with the invitation to the NATO military alliance, long-term protection it would still be uncertain in the face of future Russian aggression.
Arpan Rai10 December 2024 03:10
Zelensky says there are 800,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine
Almost 800,000 Russian soldiers are currently deployed in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
He claimed that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen because “there are no real Russian fighters there anymore.”
“This means that the entire army of the great pseudo-empire is fighting against the Ukrainian people. The same thing is happening in Africa. We know that ‘Wagner’ was there,” said Zelenski.
The Ukrainian leader said that if Ukraine falls, “Putin will return to Syria, Africa and many other countries.” His statements came before a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Arpan Rai10 December 2024 02:54
Zelensky says a “diplomatic solution” to the war in Ukraine would save lives
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz in Kyiv.
The Guardian reports that he said: “Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We are looking for it. You can use force only if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield.”
There is a growing recognition among Zelenskyi’s inner circle that, as Russia continues to achieve combat victories, some form of negotiation will soon be necessary.
But the Ukrainian leader wants more weapons from his friends, as well as security guarantees, so he can negotiate with Moscow from a position of strength if necessary.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 02:50
Atomic bomb survivors warn Putin
Japan’s atomic bomb survivors’ group, Nihon Hidankyo, said Monday it did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin understood the threat posed by nuclear weapons after the warmonger changed Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
“President Putin, I don’t think he really understands what nuclear weapons are for human beings,” said Terumi Tanaka, 92, secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo and a survivor of the 1945 atomic blast in Nagasaki.
“Nuclear weapons are things that should never be used,” Tanaka said at a press conference in Oslo, reported by the AFP news agency, and a day before receiving the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 01:50
Zelensky’s openness to Western forces provides security for an end to the fighting in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he was ready to consider deploying Western troops to Ukraine to ensure the country’s security as part of a larger effort to end the nearly three-year conflict with Russia.
In a message on his Telegram channel, Zelensky claimed that the deployment would be a step towards Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
But before that we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the European Union and when in NATO, he said.
His proposals follow a tricky diplomatic path amid international efforts to find a way to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, at a time when Russia has gained the upper hand in the battle.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 01:20
The UK is sanctioning illegal players in the gold trade in a bid to cut Russia’s war funding
Britain announced a new round of sanctions on Monday, accusing Russia of supporting its war effort in Ukraine and fueling corruption through the illegal gold trade.
According to the official notice, the government added one new designation under the Russia sanctions regime, one under the Democratic Republic of Congo regime and three under the global anti-corruption system.
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Britain and other major Western economies banned the import of new Russian gold in 2022. Russia has since found new outlets for the gold it produces.
Last week, Britain and the United States said they had broken up a global money-laundering conspiracy used by wealthy Russians to circumvent sanctions.
In addition to the recent sanctions, the government has appointed a new ‘Anti-Corruption Champion’ to help coordinate efforts to fight all forms of corruption among parliamentarians, the commercial sector and civil society.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 00:45
EU countries approved a new payment of 4.2 billion euros for Ukraine
The EU Council has confirmed that Ukraine will soon receive an additional €4.2 billion ($4.4 billion; £3.5 billion) in funding after EU member states accepted the planned payment.
The funds, which are part of the EU’s aid to Ukraine, will benefit the country’s struggling economy, which has been hit by a drop in exports and the closure of several firms as a result of the Russian war.
The EU Council wants the money transferred to Ukraine as soon as possible, citing the country’s dire fiscal situation.
The G7 group of the world’s largest economies agreed to give Ukraine a total loan of 47.3 billion euros ($50 billion; £39 billion), which will be serviced by earnings earned from Russian assets frozen in the West.
Rachel Hagan10 December 2024 00:10
Zelensky will discuss NATO with Biden, not with Trump
Additional information on the post below has just arrived from the Reuters news agency, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that NATO membership talks with Trump “make no sense” and that he will call Biden “in the coming days.”
Speaking on Monday at a press conference with visiting German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, he said: “I intend to call President Biden in the coming time to discuss the issue of the invitation to join NATO. He is the current president and a lot depends on his opinion. Talking about it with Trump before he takes office doesn’t make that much sense.”
Rachel Hagan9 December 2024 23:30
The Kremlin says it has had no contact with Trump
Russia has so far had no contact with the newly elected US President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing.
The Kremlin claimed yesterday that Russia was ready to negotiate on Ukraine after the president-elect called for an immediate ceasefire and talks.
Rachel Hagan9 December 2024 23:00