Zelenskyy on security guarantees: Ukraine needs a military presence from its allies
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about efforts to develop a new package of security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to him, to prevent future aggression by Russia, it is important not only to have modern air defense systems but also to potentially station allied military forces on Ukrainian territory.
Zelenskyy made these remarks during a closed-door meeting with journalists.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that future security agreements must be free of vague wording. The main issue is specificity and the speed of the world’s response in the event of a new threat.
“It is important for Ukraine to understand exactly how and how quickly our partners will react if aggression from the Russians recurs. We agreed that our side will present its vision, and our partners will provide their response to such a draft. It is important that there be no weaknesses or mistakes,” the president emphasized.
The president identified stable financial support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a radical strengthening of air defense as the second and third pillars of security. Kyiv plans to adopt technologies that have recently been tested in conflicts in the Middle East.
“The second issue is the funding of our army, which must be clearly secured. The third issue is the equipping of our air defense. We want to add to our arsenal those air defense systems that we currently see as effective in the Middle East and the Gulf, but which we did not have. If we are talking about strong security guarantees, this means that we need sufficient quantities of appropriate air defense systems. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that the ‘Russians’ won’t want to come back. But I do believe that if there is an American military base or a joint U.S.-European base in Ukraine, we will face fewer risks,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy commented on the situation in Transnistria and the threats in the Vinnytsia region.
Zelenskyy awarded several cities the title of Hero City of Ukraine.
Ukraine has received new missiles for the Patriot system, according to Zelenskyy.
Air defense forces shot down113 Russian drones; strikes were recorded in six locations.
Prior to this, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the “Krymskaya” oil pumping station in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation. A fire broke out there following the attack. Warehouses and military equipment in the occupied territories were also hit.
On the night of April 9, the Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully struck the "Krymskaya" oil pumping station located in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation.
