Security guarantees for Ukraine must be comprehensive and must include weapons, as well as economic and political support. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a video conference with media representatives during his official visit to the UAE.
The Head of State stressed that Ukraine must have clearly defined security guarantees: NATO or a reliable alternative.
“If we don’t have NATO, then, figuratively speaking, NATO must be built in Ukraine. Figuratively speaking – but the actions must be real and substantive. This means a million-strong army, which requires funding and those who provide it. Beyond funding, it also requires weapons. If there’s a contingent, then the size of this contingent, where it will be deployed, from which countries, and how and with what it will be armed must all be clearly defined. And if there is a contingent, it is crucial not to lose the United States in one form or another,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that there has been significant progress on the issue of the contingent. In particular, it will be discussed today at the European leaders' meeting in France. The military contingent in Ukraine can also become the first platform for the formation of the future European armed forces, which will be able to respond to attacks in the sky, at sea and on land, using drones and artificial intelligence.
“We can create a platform of strong countries – only those who want to. This is very important: not those we force, but those who want to. You know very well that a warrior who is forced and a warrior who comes on his own is a completely different army. We want security guarantees not on paper, but on the ground, at sea and in the sky. Air defense, aircraft, and ships,” the Head of State emphasized.