Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday following the public spat with US President Donald Trump regarding the ceasefire in the ongoing war with Russia, emphasised that his country wants peace but stressed that a “just and lasting peace” is not possible without Kyiv being provided with security guarantees.
In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the US government and the American people for its support in the war against Russia but also urged for a “strong US position” on its side.
Blaming Russia, whom he called the “enemy”, for bringing the war into Ukrainian territory, Zelenskyy expressed fear that Moscow might again violate the ceasefire like it did “25 times in the last 10 years”.
“We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion. America’s help has been vital in helping us survive, and I want to acknowledge that. Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners. But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals,” Zelenskyy stated.
Quoting Former US President Ronald Reagan, Zelenskyy stressed the need for peace. Zelenskyy also said that ceasefires are not a plausible solution for the conflict and claimed that Russia has already broken it “25 times”. He further added that the ongoing war is a question of their freedom and survival.
“As President Reagan once said, “Peace is not just the absence of war.” We’re talking about just and lasting peace–freedom, justice, and human rights for everyone. A ceasefire won’t work with Putin. He has broken ceasefires 25 times over the last ten years. Real peace is the only solution. It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support. He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do. We are the ones living this war in Ukraine,” he said.
“It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival,” he added.
Zelenskyy said that he is ready to sign the bone of contention between Ukraine and the US- the minerals agreement in exchange for security; however, he needs the guarantee that Washington is on Kyiv’s side.
“We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees. But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for 3 years, and Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side,” he said.
“Ukraine wants peace,” he further said, adding that “Russia was the enemy”. He said that Ukraine and its allies need to be strong at the negotiation table.
“I cannot change Ukraine’s position on Russia. The Russians are killing us. Russia is the enemy, and that’s the reality we face. Ukraine wants peace, but it must be a just and lasting peace. For that, we need to be strong at the negotiation table. Peace can only come when we know we have security guarantees, when our army is strong, and our partners are with us,” he said.
“We want peace. That’s why I came to the United States, and visited President Trump. The deal on minerals is just a first step toward security guarantees and getting closer to peace. Our situation is tough, but we can’t just stop fighting and not have guarantees that Putin will not return tomorrow,” he added.
Zelenskyy stressed that it would be difficult for Ukraine to sustain in the war without Trump’s support, but they need to remain strong.
He said that although Europe was ready to fund their large army, they did not have enough weapons to keep Russia at bay.
“Europe is ready for contingencies and to help fund our large army. We also need the U.S. role in defining security guarantees–what kind, what volume, and when. Once these guarantees are in place, we can talk with Russia, Europe, and the U.S. about diplomacy. War alone is too long, and we don’t have enough weapons to push them out entirely,” he said.