Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking with journalists in Dublin after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's team, commented on the formation of Europe's future security architecture. According to him, the key condition for determining the contours of this system will be when and how Russia's war against Ukraine ends, RBC-Ukraine reports.
Context of the statement: meeting in Dublin
The Ukrainian leader commented on his assessments while answering questions from the press. Journalists asked whether he could elaborate on the shaping of European security architecture and whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin would want to participate in this process. Zelenskyy replied that he did not know, but emphasized that the final configuration will depend on how the war is concluded and what happens after it.
The key factor — the end of the war and security guarantees
«In my opinion, much depends on when and how the war in Ukraine ends. And this will affect all subsequent steps. All these steps will be taken after the end of the war, after security guarantees are provided to Ukraine,» the president stated. Thus, he linked the sequence of political and military decisions to two conditions: the fact that hostilities cease and the presence of security guarantees for Kyiv.
Ukraine as the continent's defensive line
Zelenskyy stressed that security guarantees for Ukraine are already part of Europe's security guarantees because, as he put it, «Ukraine is already Europe's defensive line.» He added that the country «already possesses capabilities that are serious for Europe» and that Kyiv «is part of Europe and is already part of the security architecture.»
Scenario with NATO membership
Answering a question about Ukraine's possible role in the alliance, the president noted that if Ukraine is in NATO, it will be one security architecture, since the alliance will feature «a new strong country with a strong army.» «By the way, everyone in Europe is glad about this. We talked about this today. Everyone is very happy about the prospect of our NATO accession,» he said.
Alternative scenario without NATO
At the same time, Zelenskyy pointed out that if Ukraine is not in NATO, it will be a different security architecture. Thus, he outlined two fundamentally different scenarios for shaping the continent's defense system, depending on Ukraine's membership in the alliance, and tied both to a common condition — the end of the war and the provision of security guarantees.
