Zelensky urges the West to provide security guarantees ahead of peace talks

[Financial News] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western allies to provide concrete security guarantees to prepare for the possibility of another Russian invasion after the war ends. His position is that they must go beyond agreeing in principle on postwar support and clearly define how each country would respond and what its responsibilities would be in the event of an actual crisis.
In an interview with Ukrainian private broadcaster 1+1 on the 5th (local time), President Zelenskyy said of postwar security guarantees, “What matters is making it clear in the document.”
He went on to stress that practical response plans must be put in place: “It’s not the dozens of items that matter, but an understanding of the outcome. What happens if Russia starts attacking again? Who will do what, by what means, and when?”
The remarks came after Western allies discussed Ukraine’s postwar security and reconstruction in Brussels, Belgium. They also came ahead of trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine scheduled for next week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The talks will be the first peace negotiations among the three countries since February.
The two-day meeting in Brussels focused on plans to rebuild Ukraine after the war, ways to secure funding for 2027, and a security guarantee framework backed by Western countries.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in an online post that officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the European Union (EU) attended the meeting. Representatives of the World Bank (WB) and U.S. investment firm BlackRock also took part in the discussions.
Umerov said, “We also separately discussed the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and Europe as a whole, as well as joint measures to respond to it.”
President Zelenskyy also commented on how changes in the U.S. political landscape could affect support for Ukraine.
While stressing the importance of maintaining bipartisan support in the United States, he also raised the possibility that the Democrats’ landslide victory in this midterm election could work in Ukraine’s favor.
President Zelenskyy said, “I think the chances of receiving additional aid from the United States may now be greater.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington that day. What the two sides discussed specifically was not made public.
Commenting on the meeting, President Trump said, “An agreement will be reached. It will be a big deal, and it will include more than Ukraine.” He also mentioned the possibility that the agreement could cover all of Europe.
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, said on social media that the Brussels meeting aimed to address the security concerns of each party and develop practical measures to reduce the risk of future conflict. He also cited the creation of a more stable and predictable security environment as a goal of the meeting.
The EU, by contrast, struck a cautious note on the prospects for negotiations.
European Commission (EC) spokesperson Paula Pinho said, “We hope an agreement will be reached, but a lot of work remains to be done.”
She said a change in Russia’s stance was particularly necessary. “First and foremost, the party that started the war and committed aggression must be willing to act,” Pinho said. “We have not seen much movement from that side, so there is still a very long way to go.”
Russia says it is waiting to see the specifics of the agreement President Trump mentioned.
Russian presidential office spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had not received any proposals from Europe regarding security guarantees. He added, however, that European participation would be inevitable at some point in discussions on security issues involving Russia and Ukraine.
[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter