Highlights of Zelensky's press conference after summit with Trump
ON MEETING WITH TRUMP AND EUROPEAN LEADERS:
'I would like to thank President Trump for this meeting. It was the best of our meetings — and that is important. In addition to the fact that we discussed many issues, it was a long and detailed conversation.
'Today was an important step — a demonstration of true unity between Europe and the US. The leaders personally came to support Ukraine and to discuss everything that brings us closer to real peace, and a reliable security architecture that will protect Ukraine and all of Europe.'
ON DISCUSSION OF UKRAINE'S TERRITORY:
'The issue of territory — I had a long conversation about it with a map of Ukraine.
'I was able to show many things on the map to all of our American colleagues ... I even debated a bit about the percentages shown on the map, because I know very well the actual percentages of temporarily occupied territories. But nevertheless, it wasn't an argument — it was truly a warm, good, substantive conversation.
'It seems to me that the [US] president heard me [regarding the territories].
'The question of territories is something we will leave between me and Putin.'
ON SECURITY GUARANTEES:
'We talked about security guarantees. This is the key issue — the starting point for ending the war.
'It is important that the US is sending a clear signal that they will be among the countries that will help, co-ordinate, and also participate in providing security guarantees. I believe this is a major step forward. I can't yet say how everything will unfold, all the details, but it's already important that there is political will and political decisions.
'Security guarantees will probably be 'unpacked' by our partners, and more details will emerge. All of this will somehow be formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days.
"[A part of security guarantees] is the weapons package — a package of American weapons that we currently don't have. This includes, aircraft, air defence systems, and so on.
'There indeed is a package with our [Ukrainian] proposals worth $90bn (R1.57 trillion) .
'And we have agreements with the US president that when our export opens, they will buy Ukrainian drones. This is important for us.'
WHAT'S NEXT; POSSIBLE MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA:
'After our joint meeting and co-ordination on how we will work on security guarantees, the president of the US contacted the Russian side, and they discussed what kind of diplomatic assurances might be possible. Russia proposed first a bilateral meeting between Ukraine and Russia, and then a trilateral one.
'We are ready for any formats at the level of leaders, because only at the level of leaders can all these complex and painful issues be resolved, the most important and the most painful for us. I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me — that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin. And after that, I expect a trilateral meeting but, that all will depend on how the bilateral meeting goes.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Highlights of Zelensky's press conference after summit with Trump
The following are key quotes from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's press conference after meeting US President Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington on Monday. Translation by Reuters. ON MEETING WITH TRUMP AND EUROPEAN LEADERS: 'I would like to thank President Trump for this meeting. It was the best of our meetings — and that is important. In addition to the fact that we discussed many issues, it was a long and detailed conversation. 'Today was an important step — a demonstration of true unity between Europe and the US. The leaders personally came to support Ukraine and to discuss everything that brings us closer to real peace, and a reliable security architecture that will protect Ukraine and all of Europe.' ON DISCUSSION OF UKRAINE'S TERRITORY: 'The issue of territory — I had a long conversation about it with a map of Ukraine. 'I was able to show many things on the map to all of our American colleagues ... I even debated a bit about the percentages shown on the map, because I know very well the actual percentages of temporarily occupied territories. But nevertheless, it wasn't an argument — it was truly a warm, good, substantive conversation. 'It seems to me that the [US] president heard me [regarding the territories]. 'The question of territories is something we will leave between me and Putin.' ON SECURITY GUARANTEES: 'We talked about security guarantees. This is the key issue — the starting point for ending the war. 'It is important that the US is sending a clear signal that they will be among the countries that will help, co-ordinate, and also participate in providing security guarantees. I believe this is a major step forward. I can't yet say how everything will unfold, all the details, but it's already important that there is political will and political decisions. 'Security guarantees will probably be 'unpacked' by our partners, and more details will emerge. All of this will somehow be formalised on paper within the next week to 10 days. "[A part of security guarantees] is the weapons package — a package of American weapons that we currently don't have. This includes, aircraft, air defence systems, and so on. 'There indeed is a package with our [Ukrainian] proposals worth $90bn (R1.57 trillion) . 'And we have agreements with the US president that when our export opens, they will buy Ukrainian drones. This is important for us.' WHAT'S NEXT; POSSIBLE MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA: 'After our joint meeting and co-ordination on how we will work on security guarantees, the president of the US contacted the Russian side, and they discussed what kind of diplomatic assurances might be possible. Russia proposed first a bilateral meeting between Ukraine and Russia, and then a trilateral one. 'We are ready for any formats at the level of leaders, because only at the level of leaders can all these complex and painful issues be resolved, the most important and the most painful for us. I confirmed — and all European leaders supported me — that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin. And after that, I expect a trilateral meeting but, that all will depend on how the bilateral meeting goes.'
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Zelensky says Russia must end war, after Trump pressures Ukraine
WASHINGTON - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was up to Russia to end its invasion, ahead of high-stakes talks on Monday with US counterpart Donald Trump, who is pressuring Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its NATO ambitions. The comments came hours before Zelensky and European leaders were scheduled to meet Trump in Washington, a follow-up to a summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska on Friday that failed to produce a ceasefire. Trump, who dropped his insistence on a ceasefire in favor of a final peace deal after meeting Putin, said late Sunday that Zelensky could end the three-and-a-half-year war "almost immediately, if he wants to." "Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!", Trump wrote on Truth Social. Announcing that he had landed in Washington, Zelensky wrote later: "Russia must end this war, which it itself started." "Ukrainians are fighting for their land, their independence," he said, adding that he hoped "that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace." Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet one-on-one before being joined by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, according to the White House. Ahead of Monday's meeting, China called for "all parties" to agree to peace "as soon as possible." It will be the first time Zelensky visits Washington since a bust-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, when the two men berated the Ukrainian leader for being "ungrateful." Russia kept up its attacks on Ukraine ahead of the new talks, firing at least 140 drones and four ballistic missiles at the country between late Sunday and early Monday, the Ukrainian air force said. A Russian drone attack on a five-story apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv just before dawn killed at least seven people, authorities said. Ukrainian shelling attacks in the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson and Donetsk regions meanwhile killed two people, Moscow-installed authorities said. SECURITY GUARANTEES Since the Oval Office row with Zelensky in February, Trump has grown more critical of Putin and shown some signs of frustration as Russia repeatedly stalled on peace talks. But Washington has not placed extra sanctions on Moscow, and the lavish welcome offered to Putin in Alaska on his first visit to the West since he invaded Ukraine in 2022 was seen as a diplomatic coup for Russia. Speaking in Brussels on the eve of his visit to the United States, Zelensky said he was keen to hear more about what Putin and Trump discussed in Alaska. He also hailed Washington's offer of security guarantees to Ukraine as "historic." Trump said he spoke to Putin about the possibility of a collective defense guarantee for Ukraine similar to the one in place for NATO members. The promise would be outside of the framework of the Western military alliance that Ukraine wants to join and which is seen as an existential threat by Russia. DISCUSSION ON LAND Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Moscow had made "some concessions" regarding five Ukrainian regions that Russia now fully or partially controls, and that there was an "important discussion with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there." "That discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday," he told CNN, without giving details. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a referendum denounced as a sham by Kyiv and the West, and did the same in 2022 in four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia - even though its forces have not fully captured them. A source briefed on a phone call between Trump and European leaders on Saturday told AFP that the US leader was "inclined to support" a Russian demand to be given territory it had not yet captured in the Donbas, an area that includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and that has seen the deadliest battles of the war. In exchange, Moscow would agree to "freeze" the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions where Russian forces hold swathes of territory but not the regional capitals, the source cited Trump as saying. Russia had until now insisted that Ukraine pull its forces from all four regions as a precondition to any deal. Zelensky has said he is constitutionally bound not to give away any Ukrainian territory.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Ramaphosa says Putin called him about his meeting with Trump
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa said he's been briefed in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. That meeting ended with Trump saying 'great progress' had been made to quell Russia's war in Ukraine, but no mention was made of a ceasefire. In a brief statement from the Presidency on Monday, Ramaphosa said Putin expressed his satisfaction with the manner in which talks with Trump proceeded and their alignment on the peace process. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is headed for the White House today following the dressing down he received from Trump in the Oval Office in February after Trump accused him of being ungrateful for the assistance his country had received from the US. It's been more than two years since Ramaphosa travelled to Ukraine with other African leaders in an attempt to chart out a peace plan. READ: Zelensky says Russia must end war, after Trump pressures Ukraine Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa and Putin have again agreed to maintain open lines of communication and to continue their cooperation on issues of bilateral interests. "President Ramaphosa appreciated the briefing from President Putin. The president underscored the need for more compromise on key issues for lasting peace to be attained between Russia and Ukraine." Meanwhile, the White House said Trump has invited European leaders to join his meeting with Zelensky later today.
