Zelensky: No leader in world has right to negotiate with Putin without Ukraine
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine does not delegate the mandate to negotiate with Russia to anyone, while sitting down at the negotiating table is possible only after agreeing on an action plan and being in a strong position.
According to Ukrinform, Zelensky said this during an online conversation with the audience of Le Parisien.
“I insist that no leader in the world has the right to negotiate with Putin without Ukraine. We have never delegated this mandate to anyone. We are the victims. It would be unfair if everyone started saying how the country should live. The French in France, Italians in Italy, or Americans in the United States know what they want for themselves. So do Ukrainians,” the President elaborated.
He also explained the conditions under which he could sit down at the negotiating table with the Kremlin leader.
“It's not about the person in front of you. What matters is the condition you are in during the negotiations. I don't think we are in a weak position, but we are not in a strong position either. Are we in NATO? We don't know. Will we be part of the European Union? Yes, in the future, but when? Sitting down with Putin under such conditions would mean giving him the right to decide everything in our part of the world. First, we need to create a model, an action plan or a peace plan, call it what you will. Then we can present it to Putin or, more broadly, to the Russians,” Zelensky said.
The Head of State also explained why Ukraine is not going to give up the prospects of membership in the EU and NATO.
“The Ukrainian people have decided to become a full member of the European Union. Why should Putin obstruct our choice? The times of colonialism are over. Putin does not play political games. He strikes with his missiles. Why does the whole world allow him to do this?” Zelensky asked.
He also said that Ukrainians are aware of all the dangers and challenges, so only NATO membership is a reliable guarantee of security for the future.
“Who can guarantee that Putin will not return to Ukraine? What country will come to our aid with its planes and troops? All we have today are bilateral guarantees from our partners regarding military and financial support. But if Putin comes back with his millions of people, will we defend ourselves again? Or will we watch our women and children die? This is not a question of joining NATO, it is a question of ensuring our own security,” the president emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wants to discuss how to urgently strengthen Ukraine politically and geopolitically and how to get real security guarantees during his meetings with European leaders in Brussels.
Photo: Nastassia Kantorowicz Torres/Sipa press pour Le Parisien