Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “at least 200,000” allied troops would be needed to enforce any Ukraine peace deal, while urging Europe to “take care of itself” as Donald Trump returns to power in the United States. UNITED STATES.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said European leaders should not wonder what Trump would do next, but rather take collective action to defend their continent at a time when it was the target of aggressive attacks by Russia.
“Europe must establish itself as a strong global player, as an indispensable player,” declared the Ukrainian president. He cited the involvement of North Korean troops in Moscow’s war against kyiv, with fighting in the Kursk region of western Russia near Ukraine’s eastern border.
“Let us not forget that no ocean separates European countries from Russia. European leaders should remember that these battles involving North Korean soldiers are now taking place in locations geographically closer to Davos than to Pyongyang,” he said.
He also gave details of how an international peacekeeping operation could work, if a deal could be reached between Ukraine and Russia, saying in an interview that a large group would be needed. “Of all Europeans? 200,000 is a minimum. It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” he said. He ruled out reducing the Ukrainian army to a fifth of its 800,000 troops – one of the Kremlin’s demands.
“This is what he (Putin) wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Zelenskyy said, adding that his team was working on organizing a meeting with Trump.
Trump has promised to end the conflict quickly. Speaking after his inauguration on Monday, the new US president said Vladimir Putin was “destroying” Russia and he needed to make a deal.
Zelensky stressed that any ceasefire agreement was dependent on Western security guarantees. The “best guarantee” was NATO membership – something that most European member countries support, but which the United States, Germany, as well as the pro-Russian governments of Hungary and Slovakia support. oppose it.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has held discussions with several European partners about a possible peacekeeping mission, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, who visited kyiv last week. Negotiations also took place with Poland and the Baltic countries.
Speaking during his trip to Ukraine, Starmer said the UK was ready to “play its full role”, although it did not commit to intervening on the ground. He told Sky News: “We have always been one of the leading countries in the defense of Ukraine. And so you can understand that… But I don’t want to go too fast, because it has to be sustainable.”
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In his speech in Davos, Zelensky urged EU countries to spend more on technology and defense, including the production of modern drones and air defense systems. He said Russia had mobilized 600,000 troops in Ukraine and could muster 1.5 million troops – a force several times larger than any European national army taken individually.
“We must all come together,” he said, adding: “Europe must learn to take full care of itself, so the world cannot afford to ignore it.”.”
kyiv has long claimed that if Putin wins the war in Ukraine, he will attack other countries. Russia has transformed into a war economy, Zelensky said, and its production is surpassing Europe in military terms. If nothing is done, Putin would return “with an army 10 times larger than today,” he said, and swallow up independent states that once belonged to the Soviet Union.
