During the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Zelensky revealed that while the US offers 15-year security guarantees, Ukraine demands 20 to 30 years or more.
Ukraine Demands Longer Guarantees
During his appearance at the Munich Security Conference, President Volodymyr Zelenski revealed details of the American proposal. “Today we have a proposal from the American side for 15 years, and we want to have 20 years plus – 30, 50 years. We’ll see what the administration and Congress agree to,” he said.
The president emphasized that longer security guarantees are crucial not only from a defensive perspective but also for economic reasons. “We met with senators today and said we really want longer security guarantees to make them more acceptable to investors,” he noted.
According to him, discussions with business representatives clearly showed an expectation for stable and long-term security measures extending beyond 5-10 years.
Skepticism Toward Russia
Zelenski also addressed the planned next round of peace negotiations scheduled for February 17-18 in Geneva. He pointed to the change in the main negotiator on the Russian side. The new leader of the team is expected to be Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin.
“The surprise is that the Russians changed the leader of their negotiation team. I think they just want to postpone making a decision. But it’s not impossible that I’m being too pessimistic about this,” he stated.
Guaranties as a Condition for Stability
The issue of the length of security guarantees is becoming one of the key elements in discussions about a future agreement. Kyiv argues that without multi-year commitments from Western partners, it will be difficult to attract investors and rebuild the country after the war.
The President of Ukraine also recently noted that without a ceasefire and security guarantees, it will be impossible to hold elections. “We will move to elections when all necessary security guarantees are fulfilled. I have always said that the issue of elections is raised by various partners. Ukraine itself never brought it up,” he said on Wednesday, February 11.
“But of course we are ready for elections. I said it’s very simple. Let’s agree on a ceasefire, and elections will take place… First security, then politics,” he added.
