Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that any attempt to discuss a new security framework in Europe without first addressing how to end the Russia-Ukraine war could be "dangerous", particularly for the European Union, as Ukraine, the United States and Russia prepare for working-level trilateral talks within a week.
In a CNN interview on Friday (local time), Zelenskyy said he was not aware of all the details of a potential new security framework proposed by US President Donald Trump but cautioned against discussions that could sideline efforts to end the ongoing conflict."When they do not want to speak about how to end this war, I mean Russia, they want to start with a new security infrastructure in Europe. It's dangerous," Zelenskyy said.
Asked whether he believed US President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner when he said that any agreement must respect the territorial integrity of every country, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received several proposals and was engaged in different discussions, some of which he described as useful and important.
He reiterated that Ukraine supported a ceasefire and de-escalation but said there had been no indication from Russia that it was prepared to take concrete steps towards ending the conflict.
"So first of all, they know my position. There are a lot of different propositions and a lot of different talks, and some of them are useful and very important. We support a ceasefire. We support the de-escalation. We haven't seen any kind of demonstration and signals from the Russian side yet that they are ready to do something," he said.
Zelenskyy further warned that discussions on a new European security arrangement without addressing the war could have serious implications for the European Union and the wider region."This is, I think, why it's dangerous when they want not to speak about how to end this war. I mean, Russia, they want to begin with new security infrastructure in Europe. It's dangerous, by the way; it's more dangerous for the EU, not for us," he said, as CNN reported.
Pointing out that Ukraine is neither a member of the European Union nor NATO, although it is seeking EU membership, Zelenskyy said any arrangement affecting European security would have implications for all countries in the region."We are not a part of the EU. We are on the way, but we are not a part of the EU. We are not a member of the EU, and also we are not a member of NATO. And that's why, sorry, I'm in this, trying to speak, I'm not speaking on behalf of these guys, but it's dangerous for all of us. We all live in Europe," he said.
Rejecting any possibility of Europe being divided along the lines of past geopolitical arrangements, Zelenskyy said Ukraine did not want a repeat of the Yalta settlement."We don't want to have Yaltam Yalta two. Yes, we, we are not ready for such a problem. We don't want to be divided by Russia," he said.
He stressed that sovereignty and territorial integrity were fundamental principles for every independent country seeking to remain free and democratic."And of course, sovereignty and territorial integrity are a key question for any independent country if you want to be a free, democratic country, you need that minimum; your neighbours will respect your sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zelenskyy said as CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Ukraine, the United States and Russia are preparing to hold working-level trilateral talks within a week, Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (local time), following a detailed conversation with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian President said the conversation with the two US envoys lasted around an hour and a half and focused on preparations for the next round of diplomatic engagement aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war."We just had a very detailed, hour-and-a-half-long conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. We are preparing for a trilateral format at the team level between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia – to take place in less than a week," he said.
Zelenskyy also highlighted the scale of the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, stating that Russian forces had launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles.According to him, the attacks primarily targeted energy infrastructure, including power generation facilities and substations across several regions.
The affected regions included Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne, where emergency power outages were reported.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier announced that Washington would mediate working-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, focusing on postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and steps towards a peace agreement.