KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States had raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe as part of efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, warning that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders.
Separately, Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian oil facility supporting Moscow’s war effort, Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement Saturday.
“In my view, this can be dangerous,” Zelensky told reporters Friday, referring to the new security framework. “This should not be the main agenda.” His comments were embargoed until Saturday.
He said he believed Moscow was interested in reopening broader questions about European security rather than focusing exclusively on ending the 4½-year war.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe,” he said. “This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations.”
European leaders have stressed that decisions about the continent’s security must be made by Europeans themselves, warning against allowing Russia to dictate the terms of a new security order or negotiate NATO’s future.
Donbas withdrawal for NATO membership
Zelensky said the U.S. had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO. He reiterated that Kyiv would not surrender its territory.
Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive security package with its partners that could include specific guarantees from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military and financial support for a specified period, he said. It would also include a recovery plan, he said.
“If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: Do we accept it or not?” Zelensky said.
He stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing occupied territories as Russian.
Zelensky also rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country’s constitution.
“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “We’re not in NATO right now, anyway.”
Ukraine hits another Russian oil facility
Ukrainian strikes on the Samara oil pipeline station near the village of Prosvet in Russia’s Samara region Friday set several oil storage tanks on fire, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Moscow has not commented on the strike.
The facility is a key part of the network exporting Russian oil to global markets, the General Staff said. The military also said it struck the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Russia’s Lipetsk region.
Separately, 22 people, including three children, were injured in a Russian attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said. The injured include a 6-month-old baby, a 2-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.
Europe must decide its future, Zelensky says
Zelensky warned that broader discussions about Europe’s security could allow Putin to seek changes to NATO’s military presence, including the withdrawal of American troops.
He said Putin had raised similar ideas with then-President Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and the world.
“I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden. I’m sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries,” Zelensky said.
He said any changes to Europe’s security arrangements must be decided by European NATO members only after the war ends.
“The sequence should be as follows: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said. “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Energy ceasefire and prisoner exchanges
Zelensky said Ukraine’s priorities in this week’s Abu Dhabi talks included an energy ceasefire, reopening the Black Sea, prisoner releases and preparations for a leaders’ meeting to end the war.
He said Russian negotiators lacked authority to decide on several issues and Moscow was unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire.
“At the meeting in Abu Dhabi, the Russian delegation said they didn’t have a mandate to decide this issue, but we can also see that they are unwilling,” he said. Negotiators were told to resolve ceasefire questions directly with Putin.
Zelensky said talks in Moscow with U.S. negotiators resulted in an agreement to exchange more than 1,000 prisoners of war on each side. The exact number was still being determined, he said, estimating 1,200 to 1,300.
He said Washington supported Ukraine’s demand for European countries to participate directly in future negotiations, rather than remain outside the main negotiating room.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy attended the Abu Dhabi meetings, Zelensky said. He expected three to five European representatives at future discussions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was open to European participation, adding that it would “help us understand how their stand could help the peace process.” He said Russia would accept any representatives European countries chose to send.
SpaceX satellite system restrictions
Zelensky accused SpaceX of imposing restrictions on its Starshield satellite system in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, saying the limitations were hampering efforts to intercept Russian drones.
He said that the system’s speed had been restricted to a maximum of 100 mph in occupied areas and that the limitations had been in place for five days.
Zelensky questioned the explanation that the problem was technical, saying the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX despite previous assurances from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under the control of the U.S. government.
“The current Starshield restrictions suggest that SpaceX imposed them,” Zelensky said. “That’s what our team is telling me. So this doesn’t quite line up with what we heard earlier. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of all this.”
He said the restrictions prevented Ukrainian forces from intercepting Russian jet-powered Shahed drones over occupied territory as they approached from the east, forcing them to wait until the drones reached areas where the limitations did not apply.
Arhirova writes for the Associated Press.
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