Zelensky says Ukraine needs security guarantees before any vote

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government has spoken with the United States about possible security guarantees for Ukraine. He says those security guarantees would be impossible without support from the US, Europe and all members of the coalition of the willing, including Australia and New Zealand.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says peace talks are continuing Source: AAP / Kin Cheung/AP

 

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TRANSCRIPT

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a ceasefire in Ukraine is needed before his country can hold elections.

Speaking in Kyiv via video-link at a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing - a mostly European group of allies which includes Australia - President Zelenskyy says there is belief in Ukraine that America should negotiate with the Russian side.

"We are ready to work with President Trump in any format. And if President Trump is speaking more about elections in Ukraine, I want to say this very openly – we can try to hold elections. Ukraine is not hiding from democracy. But to make elections possible, there must be a security component. And America can help with this the most."

He says any vote during wartime requires security conditions and he has spoken to US negotiators about their support.

"About an hour ago, we had a conversation with our United States team about possible security guarantees for Ukraine. And we are working on a framework document and it must be strong enough to truly work. We believe these documents should be approved by the United States Congress. This would mean real solid, legally binding security guarantees for our country. And they must actually be implemented, we of course, our working model of security guarantees is impossible, and we underline it, impossible without Europe and all members of our coalition of the willing, from Canada to Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Thank you all. "

Mr Zelenskyy says the United States is still pushing for Kyiv to make large territorial concessions to Russia in eastern Donetsk, and create a demilitarised "free economic zone" as a buffer between the two armies.

Under the US plan, Russian forces would also stay where they are in the south of the country, but pull some troops out of Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not claimed to have annexed in the north.

The White House says US President Donald Trump remains ‘extremely frustrated’ with lack of progress on Ukraine peace.

The President is extremely frustrated

Karoline Leavitt

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the discussions continue:

"The President is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he's sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. He doesn't want any more talk, he wants action, he wants this war to come to an end. And the administration has spent more than 30 hours this in just in the past couple of weeks meeting with the Russians and the Ukrainians and the Europeans and speaking with them as well. So we'll see about the meetings this weekend and stay tuned."

Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, says European leaders are actually seeking to prolong the conflict in Ukraine.

He says Europe is just seeking a pause in the conflict so they can give Ukraine a chance to regroup and attack Russia.

"We insist on reaching a package of agreements for a strong, sustainable, and long-term peace with security guarantees for all parties involved. And our negotiations with the U.S. President and his team are dedicated precisely to finding a long-term solution to address the root causes of this crisis. Western Europe, however, as is evident from the statements I quoted from the official German government spokesman, is only thinking about a ceasefire, catching its breath, and once again preparing (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and his regime for war against the Russian Federation."

Meanwhile Russian military authorities claim Russian troops have fully captured the city of Siversk in Ukraine.

The Russian Defence Ministry released images of troops in Siversk, apparently showing Russian servicemen conducting door-to-door visits to apartment buildings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the liberation of Siversk marks a new, successful offensive.

"I note good momentum in all areas. The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, is proceeding steadily and rhythmically, in accordance with your plans and those of the General Staff, and the strategic initiative is entirely in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces."

However Ukrainian authorities have rejected the Russian claim that it had captured Siversk.

They also report that two women were killed after a Russian aerial bomb struck a store in Ukraine's Sumy region.

The aerial bombardment followed a night of attacks in which Russia fired three ballistic missiles and 151 drones.