Ukraine will keep in-depth conversations on Friday (4) with a small group of countries about the contribution of forces to a contingent that would act as a security guarantee for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian leader said at a press conference with Germany’s Foreign Minister that he was awaiting “more concrete” answers from Kiev’s allies about his willingness to participate in such a force, an initiative to which Russia opposes strongly.
“With regard to the question of a contingent, we will have a meeting on Friday. It will be a meeting of our military teams, several countries, a restricted circle of countries that will be prepared to send one contingent in one way or another,” he said.
Zelensky said the contingent would include a terrestrial component, an air component and a sea presence.
US President Donald Trump said he wants to end the three -year conflict in Ukraine, which began with the large -scale invasion of Russia in 2022.
Last week, the US government brokered a suspension between the two countries regarding attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.
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The US expected to reach a total ceasefire followed by a lasting peace agreement. But an agreement seems distant, despite Trump’s promises to close the conflict quickly.
Kiev’s European allies expressed their willingness to contribute troops to a force that would provide safety guarantees to Ukraine in a ceasefire and strengthen the Ukraine Armed Forces in the long run.
“This will be the first in-depth meeting, (before that) there have been consultations. I think we’ll see some clarifications and some details,” Zelensky said about Friday’s meeting.
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He added that it would not only be the contingent that would be discussed. “It is very important to know what the future of the Ukrainian army will look like,” he said.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Stmerer said on Monday (31) that British, French and Ukrainian military leaders would gather in the coming days to enjoy the “real impulse” in efforts to increase Ukraine’s safety.
The Ukrainian leader also used the press conference to ask the United States to increase sanctions against Russia for what he said were violations of the ceasefire in the energy infrastructure.
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He said the United States had told Ukrainians in particular that they had seen Russian violations of the agreement, something that came from conversations in Saudi Arabia last week.
Russia itself accused Ukrainians of continuing to attack the energy infrastructure, something Kiev denies.
