Ukraine will hold talks on the “voluntary alliance” this weekend: Zelenskyy-Country
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine will hold a so-called “Willing Alliance” leadership meeting on Saturday.
The alliance was formed earlier this year and led by France and Britain, reflecting European concerns that the United States no longer represents support for Ukraine’s three-year battle against the Russian mature Russian invasion for three years.
“We need this alliance, and it should be strong enough to align with our shared vision,” Zelenskiy said in a video address he posted in Kyiv's office.
It turns out that progress in the role Europe may play in providing post-war security assurance is difficult because they ceasefires far away and rely heavily on Russia’s response and to what extent the United States will support its allies.
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Ukraine is seeking clear security assurances to protect it from any future Russian military operations. The alliance has been considering the possibility of potentially limited foreign contingent deployment to Ukraine as part of the possible guarantee.
Zelenskiy said Thursday that he told us on the phone that President Donald Trump said the ceasefire was a “real indicator” of peace with Russia and that Kiev was ready to implement it immediately.
Trump initially proposed a 30-day ceasefire in March, Ukraine agreed, while Russia said it would only take effect once reliable measures to monitor and maintain it were appropriate.
Zelenskiy has not designated which leader will attend Kiev for the league meeting, but earlier this week, Germany's new principal Friedrich Merz said he intends to visit Ukraine in the near future.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France will hold a meeting in Ukraine on Saturday. He also said that the conference will be partly made of video and partly made of the physical presence of participants.
–Report by Yuliia Dysa; Edited by Hugh Lawson and Mark Heinrich
