Ukraine currently does not have the strength to take back Crimea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with journalists, TSN reported.
He acknowledged that Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance is currently being hindered by the positions of other NATO members. “We really want to join NATO. But we know that neither the US nor several other countries still see Ukraine in NATO“, he said. US President Donald Trump has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a few days” to respond to the peace plan, The Financial Times reported, citing its sources. Zelensky said Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president's son-in-law Jared Kushner had pressed him for a "quick solution". Trump hopes to reach an agreement by Christmas, December 25.
According to officials, Zelensky responded that he needed time to consult with other European allies before responding to Washington's offer. A Western official described Ukraine's position as a dead end: Ukraine is stuck between territorial demands it cannot accept and the US position it cannot reject. Ukraine will be ready for elections in the next few months if Western partners help ensure the country's security, Zelensky said. "Since the US president raised this issue today, I will answer briefly: I am ready for the elections. In addition, I am now asking the United States to help me, perhaps together with my European colleagues, to ensure the security of the elections, and then within the next 60-90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold the elections,” he said.
Zelensky said there were several questions regarding the process of organizing the potential elections. “First, security - how to hold them, how to do it under fire, under missiles. As for our military, the question is how they will vote. And the second question is the legislative basis for the legitimacy of holding the elections,” he told reporters. Ukraine is finalizing an updated version of the peace plan and will be ready to present it to the United States tomorrow, Zelensky said, according to “Suspilna.” “We are working at the level of our advisers, today and tomorrow. I think we will present it tomorrow,” he said. According to him, three documents are currently being worked on. “There is a framework document with 20 points, which is constantly changing. The second is security guarantees. I expect proposals from our military and their communication with the Americans. And this should be combined with the position of the Coalition of the Willing. The third document is reconstruction. It should work when the war ends or a ceasefire is declared“, Zelensky said.