Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine requires a legally binding 20-year US security guarantee and clarity on EU membership before signing any peace agreement
Ahead of trilateral talks with Russia and the United States scheduled for next week, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Saturday in Munich that Kyiv would not sign a peace deal without long-term security guarantees from Washington and a clear pathway to European Union membership.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference,
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been offered a 15-year security guarantee by the US but insisted that his country required a minimum 20-year, legally binding agreement detailing the specific support Washington would provide to a planned European reassurance force expected to operate inside
Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.
He added that some EU officials had suggested Ukraine could join the bloc as early as 2027 and called for a definitive timeline.
Zelenskyy said he hoped “the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all of us but, honestly, sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things”.
“The Americans often return to the topic of concessions and too often those concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia,” he said.
Europe-US tensions over security terms
European leaders have voiced frustration over what they see as a reluctance by the US to define the security guarantees it is prepared to offer Ukraine before any agreement is signed. The issue remains a significant strain in relations between Washington and European capitals.
In a speech welcomed by European leaders,
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Europe and the US belong together” and proposed working in partnership.
However, he indicated that cooperation would depend on Washington’s conditions regarding climate, migration and tariffs, adding that the US was prepared to act independently if necessary.
“We prefer it – and hope – to do it together with you, our friends in Europe,” Rubio said.
He made limited reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, apart from stating that the US had urged India to stop importing Russian oil, a claim Russia disputes.
Donbas and peace conditions
At a press conference, Zelenskyy said the US had told him that peace could come quickly if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas region. He rejected the suggestion, saying Ukrainians live there and such a concession was not possible.
He reiterated that Ukraine would only agree to terms backed by clear and durable security commitments from the US before any peace deal is concluded.
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