Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he asked Donald Trump for US security guarantees lasting as long as half a century to help deter against any future Russian invasion.
Current proposals under discussion as part of a peace plan set out a 15-year term with the possibility for an extension, though “I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said on Monday in an audio message to reporters.
“We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a historic decision by Trump,” he added. “The president said he would think about it.”
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US security guarantees that had been confirmed by Congress would combine with pledges by nations in the so-called Coalition of the Willing to form effective protection for Ukraine, Zelensky said. European Union membership would also be part of the security arrangements for his country, he said.
“Monitoring the ceasefire – our partners will provide it, technical monitoring and presence. All these details will be in the security guarantees,” Zelensky said. Both negotiating teams had agreed on the need for “strong” US security guarantees for Ukraine, he said.
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The comments came after Zelensky and Trump held talks at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday. While Trump said “a lot of progress” was made towards a deal to end Russia’s almost four-year full-scale war on Ukraine, both leaders acknowledged that key issues remained unresolved.