Russia agrees that any future peace agreement for Ukraine must provide guarantees for Kiev's security, but Moscow also needs reliable guarantees for its security, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said today, quoted by Reuters.
"Many leaders of European Union countries emphasize that the future peace agreement must provide reliable guarantees for Ukraine's security. Russia agrees with this. However, it has every right to count on receiving effective guarantees for its security," the Russian diplomat said, BTA reported.
According to him, the West is making a mistake by not discussing such a step with regard to Russia. Ulyanov noted that these guarantees should be "much more reliable than the notorious promises" to stop NATO's expansion to the east.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said upon his arrival in Washington today that he hoped the "shared power" of the United States and Europe would force Russia to conclude a peace agreement, Reuters reported.
"I am grateful to the US President for the invitation. We all equally want this war to end quickly and safely," Zelensky wrote on "Telegram" after arriving in Washington. "And I hope that our shared power with America and our European friends will force Russia to make real peace".
US President Donald Trump has urged his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky to move towards a settlement to the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
"Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he wants to, or he can continue to fight", Trump wrote on his social network "Truth Social" and added: "There is no going back to the Crimea given by Obama [...] and NO ENTRY INTO NATO FOR UKRAINE. Some things will never change!!!".