kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States has raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe as part of efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, warning that Moscow could use such talks to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders.
Separately, Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian oil facility supporting Moscow’s war effort, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement on Saturday. Russian
“In my opinion, it can be dangerous,” Zelensky told reporters Friday, referring to the new security framework. “That should not be the main agenda.” His comments were under embargo until Saturday.
READ MORE: Europe to send diplomatic team to Ukraine talks as leaders demand to be heard
He said he believed Moscow wanted to reopen broader questions about European security rather than focusing exclusively on ending the four-and-a-half-year-old war.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure that this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe,” he said. “It is dangerous because, in my opinion, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations.”
European leaders have stressed that decisions about the continent’s security must be made by Europeans themselves, warning against allowing Russia to dictate the terms of a new security order or negotiate the future of NATO.
The United States discussed withdrawal from Donbass in exchange for Ukraine’s membership in NATO
Zelensky said the United States had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia does not control if kyiv was admitted to NATO. He reaffirmed that Kyiv would not cede its territory.
Ukraine is discussing with its partners a package of comprehensive security measures that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, as well as significant military and financial support from Ukraine for a specific period, he said. This would also include a recovery plan, he said.
“If the American side confirms precisely this to us and other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not?” » said Zelensky.
He stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing the occupied territories as Russian.
Zelensky also rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country’s constitution.
“If Putin hopes that Ukraine’s neutrality will be guaranteed, this will not happen,” he said. “We’re not part of NATO at the moment anyway.”
Ukraine hits another major oil facility in Russia
Ukrainian strikes on the Samara oil pipeline station near the village of Prosvet in Russia’s Samara region set fire to several oil storage tanks on Friday, the Ukrainian General Staff said.
Moscow has not commented on the strike.
The facility is a key part of Russia’s oil export network to global markets, the General Staff said. The military also said it struck the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Russia’s Lipetsk region.
Separately, 22 people, including three children, were injured on Friday in a Russian attack on the town of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian emergency services said. Among the injured are a 6-month-old baby, a 2-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.
Zelensky says Europe must decide its own future
Zelensky warned that broader discussions on Europe’s security could allow Putin to seek changes to NATO’s military presence, including the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
He said Putin raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and around the world.
READ MORE: Russia and Ukraine agree to wide-ranging prisoner swap as talks end without major breakthrough
“I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden. I am sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltics,” Zelensky said.
He said any changes in European security arrangements should only be decided by European NATO members after the end of the war.
“The sequence should be: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine and security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said. “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Energy ceasefire and prisoner exchanges are priorities
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s priorities in Abu Dhabi included an energy ceasefire, the reopening of the Black Sea, the release of prisoners and preparations for a leaders’ meeting to end the war.
He said Russian negotiators lacked authority to decide on several issues and that Moscow was unwilling to agree to an energy ceasefire.
“At the meeting in Abu Dhabi, the Russian delegation said that it does not have a mandate to decide this issue, but we can also see that it does not have the will,” he said. Negotiators were asked to resolve ceasefire issues directly with Putin.
Zelensky said negotiations in Moscow with U.S. negotiators resulted in an agreement to exchange more than 1,000 prisoners of war from each side. The exact number remains to be determined, he said, estimating between 1,200 and 1,300.
READ MORE: US-led Russian-Ukrainian peace talks to focus on security guarantees for both sides
He said Washington supports Ukraine’s demand that European countries participate directly in future negotiations, rather than remaining outside the main negotiating room.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy took part in the Abu Dhabi meetings, Zelensky said. He expects three to five European representatives to participate in future discussions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was open to European participation, adding that it would “help us understand how their position could contribute to the peace process.” He said Russia would accept whatever representatives European countries chose to send.
Zelensky questions Starshield restrictions
Zelenskyy accused SpaceX of imposing restrictions on its Starshield satellite system in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, saying the limitations hampered efforts to intercept Russian drones.
It said the speed of the system had been limited to a maximum of 161 km/h (100 mph) in occupied areas and that these limitations had been in force for five days.
Zelensky questioned the explanation that the problem was technical, saying the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX despite previous assurances from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under the control of the US government.
“Starshield’s current restrictions suggest that SpaceX imposed them,” Zelenskyy said. “That’s what our team is telling me. So it doesn’t quite match what we heard earlier. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of this.”
He said the restrictions prevented Ukrainian forces from intercepting Russian Shahed drones over occupied territory as they approached from the east, forcing them to wait for the drones to reach areas where the limitations did not apply.
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