Zelensky: "When Ending the War... Conditions Include Security Guarantees, Prisoner Exchange, and Territorial Recovery"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine [Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, emphasized that "now is the time to end Russia's war."

According to AFP and others on the 15th, at the G20 summit, President Zelensky attended the first session of the meeting, the Food and Energy Security meeting, via video conference. He said, "I am convinced that now is the time to stop Russia's destructive war," adding, "This will save thousands of lives."

However, President Zelensky stated that he would not sign documents like the third Minsk agreement. Ukraine signed the first and second Minsk agreements with pro-Russian rebels in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in 2014 and 2015 to end the Donbas conflict, but the agreements became ineffective as fighting continued afterward.

He added, "Ukraine has its own plan to implement a peace formula," setting conditions such as guarantees for nuclear, food, and energy security, the exchange of all prisoners, and the restoration of Ukraine's entire territory.

He also said that G20 member countries must strengthen the core elements of the postwar security system in the European and Atlantic regions, and Ukraine is ready to sign the 'Kyiv Security Treaty' within the year to this end.

He pointed out that Russia is threatening with nuclear weapons. President Zelensky said, "There can be no excuse for nuclear weapon threats," and expressed gratitude to the G19 (G20 excluding Russia) for making this clear.

Furthermore, regarding the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, he argued, "No matter when the war ends, our grain exports must be extended indefinitely," and insisted that exports should be expanded to other ports as well. Russia and Ukraine signed the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July to ensure the safety of grain export ships in the Black Sea, but after the deadline expired on the 19th, the extension has not been decided.

Although Ukraine is not a G20 member, it attended this meeting at the invitation of Indonesia, the chair country. President Zelensky had said he would not attend the meeting if Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, participated in the G20, but since President Putin decided to attend via video conference, President Zelensky also attended the meeting that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.