He also called on Americans and Europeans to be “strong” and to “value” their relationship, even if the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States casts uncertainty over both the links between these allies and support for Ukraine. “Some of you here have urged Ukraine to make 'concessions' to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe,” said the Ukrainian president in a speech delivered to European leaders gathered in Budapest, a copy of which AFP obtained.
More than two and a half years after the start of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is in a position of strength on the eastern front, where its army is advancing increasingly quickly against fewer and less well-equipped Ukrainian troops. The election of Donald Trump to the American presidency also leaves Ukraine and Europeans fearing American disengagement in the months to come.
« Conversation productive ». “I spoke to President Trump, (…) it was a good, productive conversation, but of course we cannot say what specific actions he will take,” noted the Ukrainian leader. Mr. Zelensky also recalled that the Kremlin forces have also, according to kyiv and the West, received at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers as reinforcements. North Korea “is now leading the war in Europe,” he said. “North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil,” he lamented.
It is in this difficult context that Volodymyr Zelensky went to Hungary on Thursday for a meeting with European leaders. He affirmed that the links between the United States and Europe should not be “lost” but “valued” after the victory of Donald Trump.
Menacing tone. The head of the Russian Security Council and former Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, had opted a few hours earlier for a threatening tone in order to push the West into negotiations favorable to Moscow. “The situation in the theater of hostilities is not in favor of the kyiv regime, the West has a choice: continue its financing (of Ukraine) and the destruction of the Ukrainian population or admit the existing realities and begin to negotiate,” he said during a meeting.
The question of the sustainability of Western support for Ukraine is all the more pressing for kyiv since during his electoral campaign, Donald Trump continued to denounce the scale of aid to kyiv. With his return to the White House, the ball is in the American court, said the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday. “We will see if there are any proposals” from the new American administration, he declared.
Daily bombings. At the same time, Russia continues its daily bombings of Ukraine, in an apparent desire to break the morale of the population. In recent weeks, it has intensified its strikes on Ukrainian cities, notably kyiv. The capital was targeted by drone attacks six of the seven days of the first week of November and 20 days in October, according to the military administration. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, air defense destroyed “more than thirty” of these aircraft over the capital and its suburbs, according to the same source. Drone debris fell on six neighborhoods in kyiv, causing two minor injuries, according to this source.
Ukrainian firefighters put out a fire in a building after a Russian drone attack in kyiv, November 7, 2024 – Genya SAVILOV – kyiv (AFP)
Until now, kyiv has been able to resist Russian aggression, and in particular to partially repel these systematic bombings, thanks to Western military aid. But, for the past year, faced with more numerous and better-armed Russian forces, as well as growing Western prevarications, the Ukrainian army has been in retreat and territorial losses have accelerated this fall. Moscow is demanding that Ukraine lay down its arms, cede five regions, renounce its alliance with the West and its ambition to join NATO. Unacceptable conditions for kyiv.
Americans and Europeans assure Ukraine of their unwavering support, but refuse to authorize it to strike deep into Russian territory with the weapons they provide and to shoot down Russian missiles targeting Ukrainian cities, for fear that this would leads to escalation. Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized the West, noting that Moscow is leading a continuous escalation in the conflict, the latest being the suspected deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers.
© Agence France-Presse
