Zelensky open to Western troops providing security to end Ukraine war

His proposals take a delicate diplomatic route amid international efforts to find a way to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, at a time when Russia has taken over in the fights.

President-elect Donald Trump seeks to bring about a ceasefire and met Zelensky in Paris on Saturday. But Zelensky said Monday he would contact outgoing President Biden about Ukraine’s possible NATO membership because he is still in office, while Trump does not yet have “legal rights” to make a decision on the matter.

“He wants a cease-fire,” Trump said of Zelensky in comments to the New York Post published Sunday. “He wants to make peace. We didn’t talk about the details.

Putin’s forces are suffering heavy losses in Ukraine, Trump noted.

“I am formulating a concept on how to end this ridiculous war,” he said.

The possibility of Ukraine joining the 32-nation NATO military alliance and having Western troops stationed on its soil have been deeply divisive and controversial issues since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022.

At its summit in Washington in July, NATO said Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to membership, but stopped short of inviting the country to join. The United States and Germany have been reluctant to have Ukraine join NATO while it is at war with Russia.

One of the obstacles is the idea that Ukraine’s borders should be clearly demarcated before Ukraine can join, so that there is no doubt about where the mutual defense pact of the alliance would come into force. The invading Russian army occupies about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.

French President Emmanuel Macron launched the idea Western troops on the ground in Ukraine last February. But it sparked the same fears of escalation that led Western leaders to impose limits on arms supplies and authorizations for their use.

European military heavyweights Germany and Poland immediately they said they wouldn’t send troops in Ukraine. Macron declined to provide details on which countries were considering sending troops, saying he preferred to maintain a certain “strategic ambiguity.”

Ukrainian forces have been under attack from Russia for a month centered on the eastern Donetsk regionwhere kyiv’s defenses creak.

Zelensky said on X that in the last week alone, Russia launched almost 500 powerful guided bombs, more than 400 attack drones and almost 20 missiles of various types against Ukraine.

“More than anyone, Ukraine wants this war to end. There is no doubt that a diplomatic resolution would save lives. We are looking for it,” he said.

Zelensky thanked Biden for the last US army aid of almost a billion dollars. With doubts over whether Trump will maintain U.S. military support, the Biden administration has attempted to spend every remaining dollar from a massive foreign aid bill passed earlier this year to put Ukraine in the position as strong as possible.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s challenger in the upcoming German elections, Friedrich Merz, said there was a “basic consensus” in Germany on continued military aid to Ukraine.

But during a visit to kyiv, he also highlighted his differences with Scholz, who refused to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles in Ukraine as he insists that everything must be done to prevent a wider war between the West and Russia. Merz has been willing to provide them and allow Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia.

During his meeting with Zelensky, Merz emphasized that France, Britain and the United States have a different position from the current German government.

“Our position is clear, as is that of my parliamentary group: we want to put your army in a position to reach the military bases in Russia – not the civilian population, nor the infrastructure, but the military targets from which your country is fought. “, he said.

“With this scope restriction, we are forcing your country to fight with one hand behind its back, and that is not our position,” he added.

Merz’s center-right Union bloc leads German opinion polls. Elections are expected on February 23.