Security guarantees must be clear to military, civilians – Zelensky

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"We are discussing security guarantees. And my signal regarding security guarantees is that before taking any steps on the battlefield, the military and the civilian population must have a clear understanding of what the security guarantees will be. Understanding is extremely important," Zelensky said.

He noted that since the United States is not offering Ukraine NATO membership, work is currently underway on an alternative format of security guarantees that must be clearly defined.

"We are working right now to ensure all of this is properly spelled out. And we have made progress there. I have seen the details developed by the military – they look quite good, although this is a first draft. And the issue of monitoring during a ceasefire is, in my view, part of the security guarantees," Zelensky said.

He also emphasized the importance of understanding who would carry out the monitoring, in what format, and what sanctions would be applied in the event of violations.

"We all agreed that we must work this out. And who stands on the contact line during a ceasefire – whether it is people, troops, technological monitoring, or a combination of all this – is an issue the military is still developing. I would give them the opportunity, as professionals, to further refine this and put forward proposals for victory," Zelensky said.

Today in Berlin President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with representatives of the German authorities, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as with leaders of EU countries, the United Kingdom, and the heads of the European Commission, the European Council, and NATO.

Photo: Video screenshot