Zelensky demands unity from the US and the EU to “stop Putin and achieve peace in Ukraine”

BRUSSELS Dec. 19 () –

The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, has called this Thursday for unity from the United States and the European Union to stop the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in his offensive against Ukraine and achieve peace in 2025, recognizing at the same time that it will be difficult to maintain support to kyiv without American help.

“It is important that from the beginning of the year we have a lot of unity between the United States and the European Union, the European countries. We need this unity to achieve peace,” he said in statements before participating in the summit of European leaders in Brussels.

“Only together, the United States and the European Union, can they stop Putin and save Ukraine,” said the Ukrainian president together with the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, while acknowledging that it will be difficult to maintain support for Ukraine without aid from the United States, before the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump, who threatens to reduce aid and promote a quick ceasefire when he returns to the White House.

For his part, Costa has stressed that Ukraine can count on European support “whatever the cost”, “for as long as necessary”, “now in war and in the future in peace”, insisting that he will work with Zelensky so that one day Ukraine will be a member of the EU and to “win a just, lasting and comprehensive peace” in Ukraine.

In his opinion, universal principles such as territorial integrity, self-determination and secure borders are at stake in the war scenario in Ukraine. “The war is not only about Ukraine or only about Europe but about international law. Whether international law should prevail and the invasion should be defeated,” he said.

The summit of EU leaders is preceded by the meeting organized by the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, at his residence to bring together the Ukrainian president with a group of European leaders of the Alliance, a format in which the president was not present. of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, but leaders from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

European sources indicate that the debate at the NATO leader’s residence focused on military and economic support for the country, with the priority placed on delivering more air defense systems and redoubling the training and equipment of Ukrainian brigades. Before the meeting, Zelensky underlined his request for “security guarantees” to European allies “for today and tomorrow” in addition to a “united” position to reinforce Ukraine with more anti-aircraft defenses and weapons in the face of the wave of Russian attacks against targets. civil and infrastructure.