The key facts
- Zelensky named three options for guarantees: NATO, US guarantees with a fifth article, and a coalition of the willing
- All options must rest on a strong Ukrainian army, which requires significant funding
- Zelensky expects signals from Witkoff and mentioned a possible trilateral meeting in November
Three options for security guarantees
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Finland, said that Kyiv is considering three options for security guarantees after the end of the war. According to him, we are talking about a set of guarantees: NATO membership, which everyone hopes for; US guarantees being discussed with the Americans, including a fifth-article element; as well as a coalition of the willing, within which the US provides for European security guarantees.
The role of a strong army and funding
Zelensky noted that all these guarantees can be built on the basis of a strong Ukrainian army. According to him, this concerns both the quantitative and qualitative composition of the defense forces, which requires 'quite significant funding.' The President stated that European and American partners know about this, and all calculations have already been made: both the funding issue and the necessary number of servicemen have been determined so that the state can feel secure.
On NATO membership
The President emphasized that among the options for guarantees there is also the question of NATO membership, which, in his opinion, could be beneficial both for the Alliance and for Russia. 'We are important to NATO with our army, and NATO is very important for Ukraine's security,' he said. Zelensky added that this topic is not yet being discussed publicly in detail, but negotiations with partners are underway. In his opinion, Ukraine's accession to NATO is needed by the Russians as well, since for them it means greater security than Ukraine outside the Alliance.
On negotiations with Russia
Zelensky also commented on the topic of peace negotiations with Russia. He said that in the near future he expects signals on the issues raised in his communication with Witkoff a day earlier. According to the President, initial signals were conveyed to him by Kushner on the way to Kyiv: the Americans, allegedly, discussed this issue with Russia, and Moscow supports a trilateral meeting format — the US, Ukraine, and Russia. Zelensky said that in November a high-level meeting of technical teams will take place.
Context
Earlier, Zelensky stated his readiness to conclude a peace agreement with Russia on the condition that part of Ukraine's territories remains under the control of Russian forces. He also claimed that Russia has not achieved any successes in Ukraine this year.
