“Zelenskyi named the condition for negotiations on a ceasefire December 19, 16:20 Share: Volodymyr Zelenskyi (Photo: REUTERS/Johanna Geron) On Thursday, December 19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the country cannot live in a state of frozen conflict. Ukraine needs reliable and specific security guarantees. During a press conference in Brussels, he added that in order to achieve peace, Ukraine must receive security guarantees and a strong position.”, — write on: ua.news
Volodymyr Zelenskyi (Photo: REUTERS/Johanna Geron)
On Thursday, December 19, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that the country will not be able to live in a state of frozen conflict. Ukraine needs reliable and specific security guarantees.
During a press conference in Brussels, he added that in order to achieve peace, Ukraine must receive security guarantees and a strong position.
“About the ceasefire issue. We must understand that we cannot live with a frozen conflict. When it comes to a ceasefire in any conflict, any war, people know what will happen next, what will end. You need to know what [буде] tomorrow to make a ceasefire today. Otherwise, you’re just making a frozen conflict. Therefore, Ukraine needs security guarantees and a strong position,” he said.
Prior to this comment, Zelensky was asked a question about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his proposal “Christmas truce”.
The president replied that he had not spoken with Orban and called such initiatives, which deal with the lives of Ukrainians, frivolous and more like political PR.
“With all due respect… Mr. Prime Minister has no mandate for negotiations. His relations with Putin are too warm to put Putin in his place,” the president believes.
On December 19, Orban stated that the “peace plan”, which provides for a “Christmas truce” on the front in Ukraine, has already “lies on the table.”
On December 19, Viktor Orban is in Brussels, where a meeting of the European Council will be held, to which Volodymyr Zelensky is also invited.
The President of Ukraine arrived in Belgium on December 18, held meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Hungary’s proposal on “truce” – what is known
On December 11, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that his country had offered Ukraine to declare a ceasefire and conduct a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war for Christmas. According to him, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky rejected this proposal.
After that, the adviser to the president Dmytro Lytvyn said that the Hungarian side did not discuss anything with Ukraine and did not warn about its plans. Also, Kyiv “did not authorize Budapest to do anything.”
On December 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine urged Hungary to stop “immoral manipulations” on the topic of peace and Christmas, and to refrain from unilateral contacts with the aggressor country Russia after Orbán called Putin on December 11.