Zelensky outlines five steps to achieve just peace this year
The Ukrainian leader made this statement in his opening remarks at the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv on Monday, Ukrinform reports.
"This year must be the year when a genuine and reliable peace begins. Putin will not grant us this peace, nor will he give it in exchange for something. We must achieve peace through strength, wisdom, and the unity of our cooperation. Peace cannot simply be declared within an hour, or in a day -- today, tomorrow, or the day after. Unfortunately, that is the reality," Zelensky said.
He said that he had handed U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg a document listing all the instances where Russia violated ceasefires, with specific dates. "That is why peace can only be the result of well-calibrated diplomacy and absolutely clear security guarantees," Zelensky said.
He also outlined five steps that could bring real peace closer.
The first, according to Zelensky, is that Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table.
"The war is being waged against Ukraine, so Ukraine must be at the negotiating table together with Europe. After all, Russia's strategic target is precisely Europe, the European way of life. This means that Europe's security and future cannot be decided without Europe," Zelensky said.
Secondly, the president believes that ending the war must begin with steps that restore trust --- such as the release of prisoners.
"Russia must release Ukrainians. Ukraine is ready for an 'all-for-all' exchange, and this is the fair solution," he said.
The third step, according to Zelensky, is NATO membership.
"Ukraine, along with many others in the world, asserts that NATO is currently the simplest, cheapest, and most reliable way to ensure peace and stability in Europe. And this is indeed the case. NATO is an already existing and effective security system that has worked for decades and has prevented wars even in places where it shares a border with Russia. We must be honest: Ukraine deserves not only EU membership but also the security guarantees that NATO provides," he said.
If NATO membership remains closed to Ukraine, Zelensky said, "we will have no choice but to build NATO in Ukraine."
"This means securing the necessary funding, military contingents, and defense production to guarantee peace. Can we do this alone? No," he said.
"We already have 28 security agreements with partners, including nearly all those participating in today's meeting. These are very clear commitments that strengthen Ukraine. They include defense, financial, and political agreements that primarily serve to prevent this war from expanding. We must build on what we have agreed upon at the bilateral level -- more defense production, greater financial resilience, more technological cooperation, and, most importantly, measures that directly protect human lives, such as strengthening Ukraine's air defense," Zelensky said.
He said that Ukraine is laying the foundation for a new European air defense shield.
"Every commitment regarding air defense is critically important. Based on this initial foundation, we must work together to create an effective security guarantee system for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and all of Europe," Zelensky said.
The fifth and final element, he said, is the necessity of unity.
"Right now, we must do more than yesterday, support each other more than ever before, so that by the end of this year, we can say: we did everything we could and had to do -- and here is peace," Zelensky concluded.
The Support Ukraine summit, attended by Zelensky, is taking place in Kyiv on Monday. It brought together leaders from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as the OSCE Secretary-General, the French Minister for European Affairs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
