Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Europe, not just the U.S., must have a voice in forming a peace plan to end the war with Russia owing to Ukraine being a member of the European family.
The Ukrainian president made the remarks in an extensive interview with the American podcaster Lex Fridman, released on Sunday.
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“We are a part of Europe, not only geographically and geopolitically, but also in the European Union where we will be,” Zelenskyy said. “For us, it is very important that Europe has a voice.”
Zelenskyy added that Russia would escalate the conflict in Europe if Washington were to leave NATO.
“I’m simply saying that if it does (quit the alliance), Putin will destroy Europe,” he said.
Donald Trump, who returns to the White House later this month, has said he will end the war as quickly as possible, even suggesting he could strike a peace deal before becoming president again.
Although Trump has failed to provide any details, there are fears that his peace plan, or even that for a ceasefire, will come at Ukraine’s expense.
Zelenskyy used the three-hour interview published on YouTube to call for NATO membership, emphasizing his belief that a ceasefire without security guarantees for Kyiv would merely give Russia time to rearm for a new attack.
The Ukrainian leader said the White House under Trump had a vital role to play in providing guarantees and claimed that he and the U.S. president-elect saw eye to eye on the need for a “peace through strength” approach to ending the conflict.
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“Without the United States, security guarantees are not possible. I mean these security guarantees that can prevent Russian aggression,” he said, tacitly acknowledging that Kyiv’s European allies would be too weak militarily to manage to underscore an agreement.
He also said that a meeting with Trump was on the agenda.
“He told me on the phone that my visit would be one of his first. This topic is important to him. I hope we will meet,” he said.
The Ukrainian president also said that he is unsure whether he will run for a second term, saying: “I don’t really know... It is a very difficult question.”
“I believe that the elections will take place immediately after the end of martial law—this is according to the law,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s presidential elections were due to take place in April 2022 but were postponed owing to the constitution prohibiting them when martial law is in effect.
There is also a possibility of amending the legislature and holding the elections during the conflict, but that option, Zelenskyy said, “will be very difficult to do because society is against it.”
Holding elections during the war, Zelenskyy continued, would jeopardize the freedom to vote for citizens in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine as well as the Ukrainian soldiers.
The president added that running for re-election is not something he thinks about right now and even warned against candidates launching their campaigns before Kyiv gets a peace deal with Moscow on paper.
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