Zelensky: "Support Some Ceasefire Proposals... Cannot Agree to Halt Military Aid"

Zelensky Wants to Speak with President Trump
US Must Serve as Guarantor of Ceasefire
France and Germany Stress Ukraine's Inclusion in Negotiations

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, expressed support on the 18th (local time) for the ceasefire plan agreed upon by the United States and Russia, which is limited to the energy and infrastructure sectors. He also reiterated his previous stance that Ukraine must not be excluded from peace negotiations and requested U.S. President Donald Trump to share the details of the phone call between the U.S. and Russian leaders.

AFP Yonhap News

President Zelensky told reporters on the day, "I support the proposal to stop attacks on energy and infrastructure," adding, "We will support any proposal that leads to a stable and just peace."

He further stated, "If Russia abides by (the U.S.-Russia ceasefire proposal), we will do the same," and emphasized, "The United States must act as a guarantor." This implies that the U.S. should play the role of a monitor to ensure Russia properly implements the terms of the ceasefire plan.

President Zelensky expressed his desire to speak with President Donald Trump to hear the details of the phone call between the U.S. and Russian leaders, saying, "After receiving the details, we will provide our response."

He pointed out that the agreement between the U.S. and Russian leaders on the day was not a "full ceasefire." He also claimed that Russia is preparing new offensives on the frontlines in the south-central Zaporizhzhia and the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv regions over several months to exert maximum pressure on Ukraine.

During the approximately 90-minute call on the day, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day halt to attacks on energy infrastructure facilities in Russia and Ukraine. President Putin had previously stated that he could not accept the 30-day ceasefire plan agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine and demanded that Western support for Ukraine be stopped.

President Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine must not be excluded from the ceasefire negotiations. He said, "Talking about Ukraine without Ukraine cannot produce any results," adding, "Our partners will not agree to stop military support for Ukraine as demanded by Russia and hope that the support continues."

The leaders of France and Germany also shared President Zelensky’s views. In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, they welcomed the partial ceasefire plan but stated, "The next step must be a full ceasefire and it should happen as soon as possible. Decisions must not be made excluding Ukraine."

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