(Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he raised the risk of a frozen conflict with Russia and pressed for security guarantees in talks with US President-elect Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Zelenskiy said he sought to drive home his position that Ukraine can only enter into ceasefire talks from a position of strength — and told the leaders in Paris on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t want to end the war.
“Nobody wants to end the war more than us,” Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv on Monday, as he weighed in on inducing Putin to back down. “We need to force him — one can force him only if Ukraine is strong,” he said, meaning a robust military and the capability to launch long-range attacks.
Macron orchestrated the meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy in the French capital as leaders gathered for the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral. The Ukrainian has made overtures to the president-elect, who has been skeptical about sustained support for Kyiv — and has called for a swift end to the war.
Zelenskiy and European governments have insisted that any resolution to the conflict can’t be forced on Kyiv. He reiterated that Ukraine needs security guarantees to prevent a future Russian attack — and underscored his aim to receive an invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“We cannot be in NATO now, but there could be an invite to join NATO,” he said, adding that he plans to call US President Joe Biden to press his case. “That is what we discussed.”
Boots on the Ground
Zelenskiy has been pushing western allies to accept Ukraine’s NATO bid to prevent another Russian assault after the current war ends. He also raised a proposal — once floated by Macron — for a Western military presence in Ukraine to back Kyiv.
While the proposal has failed to gather support of European leaders, the Ukrainian president said it may be back on the table as a way to protect his country after the war ends, but before it’s able to join the 32-member military bloc.
“We can think and work on Emmanuel’s proposal — he suggested for some troops of some countries to be present on some parts of Ukrainian territory to guarantee our security while Ukraine isn’t in NATO,” Zelenskiy said.
“But we will need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine is going to be in the EU and when Ukraine is going to join NATO,” he added.
Zelenskiy spoke alongside Germany’s conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, who will seek to take over the country’s chancellorship after a snap election in February. The two discussed establishing a contact group of European nations to coordinate a position with the US.
The group — consisting of Germany, Poland, France and the UK — will “bring these four large countries together in order to develop a common position with the United States,” Merz said. Denmark may also join, representing Nordic nations, Zelenskiy said.
Merz also stressed his willingness to send German long-range Taurus missiles Taurus. “We must do everything to enable Ukraine to exercise its right to self-defense - without restrictions,” he said.
In a separate meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Zelenskiy said Ukraine wants to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a multi-national military partnership.
--With assistance from Kateryna Chursina and Olesia Safronova.
(Updates with Zelenskiy’s quotes from seventh paragraph)
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