Zelensky Says Western Countries Are Considering Sending Troops to Ukraine

The President of Ukraine states that military officials from Western countries intend to examine the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine, whose task would be to oversee a possible ceasefire in the war with Russia and participate in the new security structure of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video speech on Wednesday, April 1, "Our starting point is this: the Ukrainian army must be strong enough, and our entire security structure will be based on this foundation." He added that "on Friday (April 3), a meeting will be held with representatives of our partner countries; these individuals will be military representatives." On April 1, Zelensky met in Kyiv with Annalena Baerbock, the German Foreign Minister of the transitional government, and stated that "a small group of countries" is ready to send units to Ukraine. In a joint press conference with Ms. Baerbock, he added that he is awaiting "more specific responses" from Ukraine's allies regarding their readiness to participate. France and Britain have expressed their willingness to send troops as part of a "voluntary coalition" to oversee a possible ceasefire, but Russia has firmly opposed any foreign troop deployment to Ukraine. Zelensky also stated in his video speech that Ukraine has provided "all necessary information about Russia's violations in the energy sector" to its American partners. According to him, on April 1, attacks occurred in Kherson, including a Russian drone attack that deliberately targeted energy facilities and equipment, resulting in part of the city losing power. The Ukrainian president emphasized, "We insist that any violation must be documented and met with a response from our partners. It is precisely these small details that shape Russia's significant delays in the diplomatic process." Zelensky referred to an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to refrain from attacking each other's energy facilities; an agreement that the White House announced on April 25, coinciding with the announcement of a ceasefire to facilitate shipping in the Black Sea. Kyiv stated that this agreement would be immediately enforceable. However, Moscow has said that its implementation is conditional on the lifting of some sanctions related to Russian companies and banks involved in global food trade. Germany also, during Baerbock's visit, announced its commitment to allocate an additional 130 million euros (140 million dollars) for humanitarian aid and stabilization funding in Ukraine. According to Zelensky, this aid package brings Germany's total assistance since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to seven billion euros. Meanwhile, according to Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on the city on the evening of April 1, during which 13 "Shahed" drones hit their targets, injuring four people. He stated, "The consequences of this attack included fires in two industrial buildings and damage to more than 10 houses in surrounding residential areas." Additionally, in another attack on the same day in the Zaporizhia region, civilian infrastructure was targeted, resulting in one death, as reported by Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor.