Zelensky sure Ukraine will get security guarantees

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I strongly believe in the Coalition of the Willing, co-chaired by you, [Emmanuel Macron], and Keir Starmer. You've brought together more than 30 countries. I'm also looking forward to our bilateral talks today — both one-on-one and with our teams. And tomorrow we'll have the Coalition of the Willing meeting, the outcome of which — I don't know exactly what day it will be finalized, but I'm certain it will happen — will be security guarantees for Ukraine. This is extremely important: a strong Ukrainian army and security guarantees for our people, for our families. I do believe in this — we are all working towards it," Zelensky said.

Zelensky thanked Macron personally and the people of France for their support in resisting Russian aggression. He also emphasized the need to increase joint pressure by Ukraine, Europe, and the United States in order to move towards a diplomatic resolution of the war.

"France has always been among the leaders, and I'm deeply grateful to you. Today, we're at a moment when France, like other countries, truly wants to bring peace closer. Unfortunately, we still don't see any signals from Russia that they are willing to end the war. But I'm confident that our alliance — first and foremost, Europe standing with us since the start of the war — and Europe's partnership with the United States will help us increase pressure on Russia and move toward a diplomatic settlement of this difficult issue," Zelensky said.

He also thanked France for providing air defense systems, which help Ukraine defend itself daily against Russian missile attacks.

Macron, in turn, stressed that the Coalition of the Willing is prepared to provide Ukraine with all necessary security guarantees.

"We are meeting with the Ukrainian president on the eve of the Coalition summit. Tomorrow, several European leaders will join us, and the work that has been done since the Washington summit in mid-August by all our military leaders will be finalized at the level of heads of state and government," Macron said.

He added that all the groundwork carried out so far allows him to confidently state that Europeans are ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.

"This preparatory work is now complete. We are moving into the political phase, and, frankly, we are very firm when it comes to security. Europe is engaged with an unprecedented level of commitment and intensity because the security of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people — today and tomorrow — is also our security, the security of Europe," the French leader said.

Zelensky arrived in Paris for bilateral talks with Macron and further negotiations in the Coalition of the Willing format.

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