He President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskywon renewed expressions of support from his European allies and Canada on Saturday, ahead of a crucial meeting with the US president donald trumpand after Russia will carry out new attacks against kyiv.
Heading to Florida for the meeting with Trump, the Ukrainian president stopped in Halifax, where he spoke with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney.
Then, in a video conference, he spoke with leaders of the European Union (EU), NATO and European leaders, who gave him their “full support,” according to the German chancellor. Friedrich Merz.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenreiterated that a plan to end the conflict with Russia must preserve the “sovereignty” and “integrity” of Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, the latest Russian offensive shows that Moscow has no intention of ending the invasion it launched in February 2022 and which has caused tens of thousands of deaths.
“This attack is, again, Russia’s response to our peace efforts. And this really showed that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not want peace, and we do want peace,” Zelensky said in Halifax.
Carney was emphatic: “We have the conditions (…) for a just and lasting peace“But that requires a willing Russia, and the barbarism we saw last night (…) shows how important it is that we stay on Ukraine’s side.”
Russia has accused Ukraine and its European allies of trying to “torpedo” an earlier plan, brokered by the United States, to stop the fighting.
In addition to the night attacks, Moscow also claimed responsibility for taking two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Mirnograd and Gulyaipolé.
“If the kyiv authorities do not want to resolve this matter peacefully, we will solve all the problems before us by military means,” Putin warned on Saturday.
The latest attack on kyiv lasted about 10 hours, left two dead and dozens injured, and cut off electricity and heat to more than a million residents of the region amid freezing temperatures, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“Russian representatives engage in long conversations, but in reality … they do not want to end the war and seek to take advantage of every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering,” said Zelensky, who said that some 500 drones and 40 missiles had fallen on kyiv and its surroundings.
Neighboring NATO member Poland mobilized aircraft and put its air defenses on alert during the attack, its military reported on social media.
“Strong security guarantees”
The Sunday meeting in Florida will focus on a new 20-point plan that would freeze the front line at current positions, but open the door for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the east, where demilitarized zones could be created, Zelensky detailed this week.
The Ukrainian leader indicated that there are disagreements between kyiv and Washington over the eastern region of Donbas, controlled mostly by Russia.
Washington puts pressure on kyiv to withdraw from the 20% of territory it controls in the Donetsk region, part of Donbas, Moscow’s main territorial demand.
Washington’s updated plan also proposes joint US-Ukrainian-Russian control of the Zaporizhia power plant, Europe’s largest atomic plant, which Russia seized during the invasion.
Zelensky stated that territory can only be ceded if the Ukrainian people approve it in a referendum.
Ukraine obtained concessions regarding the previous 28-point plan presented by Washington, considered highly biased in favor of Russian interests.
The plan includes a series of bilateral agreements between United States and Ukraine on security, reconstruction and economic guarantees, as well as strong European economic support.
Trump warned on Friday that nothing is assured until he gives his approval. Zelensky “has nothing until I approve it,” he assured Politico. “We’ll see what he comes up with.”
Zelensky indicated that his meeting with Trump sought to minimize unresolved issues and stressed that, for Ukraine, “security guarantees must be strong.”
He also said that a roadmap for the reconstruction of Ukrainethat It will require between 700,000 and 800,000 million dollars.
Following Zelensky’s departure to the United States, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency accused several deputies of accepting bribes, and announced that it attempted to raid several offices, but was prevented by security forces.
The Ukrainian presidency was already destabilized in November by a major corruption scandal related to the embezzlement of almost $100 million in the energy sector.
