Zelensky: Trump Must Ensure That Russia's Aggression Will Not Be Repeated

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, emphasized in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, must not only stop the war to resolve the Ukraine crisis but also guarantee that there will be no further aggression from Russia. According to Reuters, Zelensky stated that Ukraine does not want to repeat the experience of peace negotiations that were fruitless before Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022, as those agreements ultimately led to war. Zelensky indicated that this means security guarantees are needed this time. In an interview with ITV in the UK, he said, 'A frozen conflict will lead to new aggressions again. In that case, who will win and be recognized in history? No one. It will be a complete failure for everyone, both for us, which is a fundamental issue, and for Trump.' Zelensky stated, 'He (Trump) must not only stop the war. He must act in a way that (Vladimir) Putin has no opportunity to wage war against us again. This is the main issue, and everyone must accept it. This will be what is called victory.' Zelensky reiterated his willingness to negotiate with Russia to end the war, provided that Ukraine's Western allies, namely the United States and the European Union, participate in the process. He said, 'If I can be assured that the U.S. and Europe will not abandon us and will support us and provide security guarantees, I will be ready for any form of negotiations.' 'If there are security guarantees, we can talk about ending the hot phase of the war. You must understand that we need to know how this war will end. That we are all on the same side with the U.S. and Europe.' The Ukrainian President stated that Putin has no desire to end the war and 'cannot be approached through... half-measures.' Zelensky said, 'We need security guarantees, understandings that anyone, whether he himself or someone after him, if they want to kill Ukrainians or seize our land... should receive an appropriate response.' Last week, Zelensky told Reuters that he wants Ukraine to supply rare earth elements and other minerals to the U.S. in exchange for financial support for Kyiv's war efforts against Moscow. Ukrainian officials have also discussed with Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Trump announced on Friday that he would likely meet with Zelensky next week to discuss ending the war. The New York Post reported a few days ago that Trump said he had spoken with Putin by phone about ending the war, but Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said he could not confirm or deny this report. Ukraine shot down 70 Russian attack drones.