As the year approaches its end, all around the world geopolitical developments are taking place at a dizzying speed.
In the middle of all that, the war in the Ukraine, the biggest and bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two, is moving away from the media headlights that have been shining upon it for three years.
Finally, yesterday (9), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to call for a diplomatic settlement to the war.
Zelensky also defended the idea of deploying foreign troops in Ukrainian territory until it could join the NATO military alliance.
The new stance was announced at a press conference he held with visiting German opposition leader Friedrich Merz.
This openness to negotiations is a clear reaction to the upcoming inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th US President.
Trump called on Sunday (8) for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the ‘madness’, after meeting Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris before the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Reuters reported:
“’Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it’, Zelensky told reporters in Kiev on Monday.
Zelensky’s spokesperson Serhiy Nikiforov said later that Kiev was preparing a December meeting of key European partners who together with the U.S. were ‘capable of ensuring the maximum strengthening of our state’. The aim was to develop a joint position that would hold strong both in negotiations and on the battlefield, he added.”
Zelensky told reporters that he had discussed a ‘freezing’ of the combat frontlines during the Paris meeting with Macron and Trump.
Zelensky doesn’t believe that Putin wants to end the war, which is a fair assumption at this point since Russian troops are gaining ground daily.
But the Ukrainian leader says that the Russian president must be forced to make peace – which is a delusional idea.
“’You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield’, he said, implying Kiev needed help to become stronger.”
Zelensky is meddling in the February German elections by receiving CDU’s Merz, the frontrunner in the race to become the next chancellor.
Merz said that Berlin’s current policy is ‘making Ukraine fight with one arm tied behind its back.’
Zelensky took the opportunity to float an old idea by Macron of sending European troops to Ukraine – something that is not even close to an unanimous plan in the EU.
“’We can think and work on Emmanuel’s position. He suggested that some part of troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in NATO’, Zelensky said. ‘But we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in NATO’, he added.”
Kiev keeps insisting on a NATO invitation, and further says now that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia launching another invasion once the war ends.
“’If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in NATO, and even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in NATO, and there will be a pause, then who guarantees us any kind of security?’ Zelensky asked at the press conference.”
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The post Zelensky Calls for a Diplomatic Settlement to the War, Defends the Idea of Deploying Foreign Troops in Ukraine appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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