Upon his arrival at the 27 summit in Brussels on Thursday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for “unity” between the European Union (EU) and the United States “to achieve peace” in Ukraine. “I think that only together the United States and Europe can really stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and save Ukraine,” he said.
Strong support for Ukraine, whose army has been retreating for weeks in the face of Russian forces, is “very difficult” without the United States, he stressed. “This is what we will discuss with Donald Trump when he is in the White House,” starting January 20, he added.
VideoVolodymyr Zelensky confides in the readers of Le Parisien
Volodymyr Zelensky participated Wednesday evening with other European leaders, including those of Germany, Italy and Poland, in a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO on how to help Ukraine, one month before the American billionaire takes office in Washington. A “very good opportunity to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, for today and tomorrow,” he said.
Before Donald Trump arrives at the White House, the Europeans are seeking to send at least two messages: “no decision on Ukraine, without Ukraine”, and “no decision on Europe without the Europeans”, according to diplomats in Brussels. The American billionaire promised to bring peace to Ukraine “in 24 hours”, arousing the concern of Europeans who fear being sidelined, and of kyiv which does not want a “forced” peace.
Let Ukraine “not be forced”
The priority is that Ukraine “is not forced to accept a peace that would be dictated to it”, underlined German Chancellor Olaf Scholz upon his arrival in Brussels. And while waiting for these possible peace negotiations, the Europeans also want to ensure that Ukraine will be in a position of strength.
The Europeans promise at least 30 billion in financial aid to Ukraine in 2025, a large part of which will allow it to buy weapons, diplomats assure. They also want to help Ukraine get through the winter while Russia is shelling its energy infrastructure day after day.
Rarely, Emmanuel Macron will not participate in this European meeting since he arrived Thursday morning in Mayotte, devastated by the deadly cyclone Chido. This did not prevent him from meeting Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday with whom he discussed his idea of sending troops to Ukrainian soil, to guarantee a possible ceasefire, according to the Ukrainian president.
“We continued to work on President Macron’s initiative regarding the presence of troops in Ukraine, which could help stabilize the path to peace,” the Ukrainian president said on X on Wednesday evening.
