The war between Russia and Ukraine can only be effectively ended if Kyiv receives security guarantees from the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said this an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman. The three-hour podcast came online on Sunday.
According to Zelensky, the Ukrainians expect that incoming President Donald Trump will force Moscow to end the war. “Without the United States, security guarantees are not possible,” Zelensky said. “I mean security guarantees that prevent Russian aggression.”
Since Trump was re-elected in November, there has been a buzz of rumors and ideas about how the incoming president plans to end the war between Russia and Ukraine through diplomatic channels. Trump has regularly stated that he wants to do this “within 24 hours” – but he has so far not announced how he wants to achieve this.
Ceasefire
One of the most obvious solutions seems to be a ceasefire, in which the current front line will serve as a ceasefire line. But Zelensky has repeatedly said that option is moot if Ukraine does not receive security guarantees from Washington. The Ukrainian president believes Putin will use a ceasefire to rearm the Russian armed forces, with the aim of resuming the war once the army is back up to strength.
Membership of NATO is the best guarantee for Ukraine against new Russian aggression, Zelensky stated again in the podcast. He acknowledged that NATO can only act on territory under the control of Ukraine, not the areas occupied by Russia. “This can be negotiated, I am sure,” Zelensky said.
According to the Ukrainian president, he and Trump agree that the best way to end the war is to strengthen Ukraine militarily. He praised Trump extensively as a politician who acts on strength. “I think President Trump not only has the will, but also the capabilities. It’s not just talk,” Zelensky said. “Trump and I will come to an agreement. Provide strong security guarantees, together with Europe, and then we can talk to the Russians.”
Zelensky warned in the interview about the consequences of a possible American withdrawal from NATO. Trump spoke openly about this during his previous presidency. “I’m just saying that Putin will destroy Europe if the United States leaves the alliance,” Zelensky said.
Trump’s inauguration
Zelenksy also said he will attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20 if invited. “He told me on the phone that my visit will be one of the first,” Zelensky said. “This topic is important to him. I hope we meet.”
When asked about possible corruption in Ukraine in the spending of American money, Zelensky pointed to possible corruption in the US. Zelensky stated that Ukraine has actually received less than half of the military aid allocated by Washington. According to the president, 177 billion dollars (171 billion euros) worth of military equipment has been promised, but “we received [wij] half, where is the other half? If you find the second half, you will find corruption.”
By this, Zelensky seemed to be referring to the financial benefits that American businesses gained from arms support. For example, Ukraine is said to have proposed having American weapons and ammunition flown in by Ukrainian transport aircraft. “My planes remained on the ground, and American transport planes carried these weapons,” Zelensky said. “Is this corruption or not? Or is it lobbying?”
Ukrainian offensive in Kursk
In anticipation of Trump’s return to the White House, both Moscow and Kyiv are trying to improve their own positions on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces launched surprising new offensive operations over the weekend in Russia’s Kursk region, part of which Ukraine has occupied since August. Kyiv appears to want to use the occupation of parts of Kursk for possible negotiations with Moscow about an end to the war. The occupied territories in Kursk could be used as a means of exchange.
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Ukraine carries out new offensive operations in the Russian Kursk region
There is also plenty of fighting elsewhere along the more than a thousand kilometer long front line. In eastern Ukraine, in the Donbas region, Russian units continue to report conquests, especially near the besieged city of Pokrovsk. On Monday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the town of Kurachove, about thirty kilometers south of Pokrovsk, had been captured after a months-long siege. That report was not confirmed by Kyiv. Before the Russian invasion in 2022, almost twenty thousand people lived in Kurachove.
According to the Institute for the Study of War Russian units in Kursk also started new offensive operations on Sunday, possibly in response to the Ukrainian attacks.