Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference after the European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 19, 2024. (John Thys, AFP, Getty Images via TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a call for a common line between the U.S. and the European Union and an increase in military production in the face of the Russia’s nearly three-year invasion of his country.
“From the very beginning of next year we need very much unity between the United States and the E.U.,” Zelenskyy told reporters before a summit meeting with E.U. leaders in Brussels on Thursday. “We need this unity to achieve peace.”
Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and a group of European leaders in Brussels late Wednesday to discuss increased support for Kyiv ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
The Ukrainian leader said ahead of the meeting with the NATO chief that he’ll reinforce his push for security guarantees “for today and for tomorrow” from his Western allies.
Trump has pledged to put a swift end to the war, but he hasn’t provided details of how he intends to do that. The president-elect and his national security nominees have hinted that Ukraine may have to leave swathes of territory in limbo in exchange for security guarantees that will likely fall short of NATO membership.
That would leave Europe having to carry much of the burden.
“It’s very difficult to support Ukraine without American help,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday. “And that’s what we will discuss with president Trump when he will be in the White House.”
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