Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed doubts about the US proposals for a new security order in Europe. In an interview with the American television network CNN, he said that such an initiative could be dangerous if discussed before a solution is found to the war Russia is waging against Ukraine.
„It is not simple, and for us it could also be dangerous,“ Zelenskyy said.According to him, the process should proceed in three consecutive stages. First, the way to end the war must be discussed. Then Ukraine needs security guarantees, and only in third place can there be talk of building a new security architecture in Europe.
„Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire and de-escalation,“ the president said in a post on the social media platform X. However, he said there were no signs that Moscow was backing down.
According to Zelenskyy, this is precisely what makes the American proposals risky. „Russia is not seeking to discuss ways to end the war, but rather aims to create a new security structure in Europe,“ he said.
Washington Talks of a „Big Deal“
US President Donald Trump has recently been presenting the idea of a „big deal“ to end the war. So far, the concept has no publicly clarified parameters, but according to Trump, it could encompass not only Ukraine but Europe as a whole.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a White House special envoy, outlined a security framework based on continuous communication, military transparency and mutual measures to reduce the risk of escalation. Before that, he had discussed possible guarantees for Ukraine’s security in Brussels with European partners, NATO representatives and officials from the European Union.
The proposal bears similarities to the 1975 agreements of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, the historical predecessor of today’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. There are also similarities with the NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, signed in Paris in 1997.
However, these documents were the result of lengthy negotiations and were concluded in peacetime. This difference from the current situation is one of the reasons Zelenskyy insists that an end to the war must be agreed first, followed by discussions on broader changes to the European security system.
Sources: bta.bg, kq2.com