KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Russia was doing everything it could to stop a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin from taking place, and urged Ukraine’s allies to put fresh sanctions on Moscow if it shows no interest in peace.
Speaking at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said they had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine by other states.
He said the guarantees ought to be similar to NATO’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member of the alliance as an attack against all.
“This is the beginning of a big undertaking, and it is not easy, because guarantees consist of what our partners can give Ukraine, as well as what the Ukrainian army should be like, and where we can find opportunities for the army to maintain its strength,” Zelenskiy said.
The Ukrainian leader also called on his country’s allies to pressure Russia into “at least a minimally productive position”.
Zelenskiy has called repeatedly for Putin to meet him, and U.S. President Donald Trump said the Russian president had agreed to such a meeting on a call with him during a visit to Washington by European leaders.
“The Russians are doing everything they can to prevent the meeting from taking place,” Zelenskiy said on Friday.
“Unlike Russia, Ukraine is not afraid of any meeting with leaders.”
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa;Writing by Max Hunder;Editing by Alex Richardson and Helen Popper)
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