Ukrainians will need to learn to live with conflict “like Israel,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Nataliia Moseichuk on Sunday.
“We are reclaiming our state and it will be ours. It will happen, but we need to learn to live with it,” said Zelensky. “Israel is fighting. It depends on the kind of war. We are ready to fight for a long time without losing people. It’s possible. We can minimize casualties, as with the example of Israel. You can live like this.”
Zelensky additionally called for an “Israeli model” for defense relations with the United States, in which the US provides weapons, technology, training, and funding in the the interview.
Bilateral treaties on security guarantees should contain issues of weapons, sanctions, and finances, but the list may be different with each country, added Zelensky.
“From the USA, we will probably have exactly such a model where there are weapons, technologies, training, finances, etc. It seems to be Israeli, but we have a different state and a different enemy”
Volodymyr Zelensky
“There should be sanctions, weapons, finances, air defense, aircraft – the menu is large, but the client is different. With the United States, it will be a more powerful bilateral treaty, with Britain the treaty will also be a strong one. However, there are states that simply do not have weapons but do have economies, who can impose serious sanctions in case of repeated aggression,” he noted.
Zelensky mentioned that the agreement with the United States could be similar to the Israeli model of security guarantees from the Americans.
“From the USA, we will probably have exactly such a model where there are weapons, technologies, training, finances, etc. It like with Israel, but we have a different state and a different enemy,” the President explained.
Lithuania’s military aid including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, delivered as part of the security support package for Ukraine, is unloaded from a ?17 Globemaster III plane at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, February 13, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)He also assured Ukrainians that in the event of a change of president in the USA, the agreement will continue to apply, as the document must be ratified by Congress, and in European countries by their parliaments.
Ukraine not abandoning NATO bid
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is not abandoning NATO, and security guarantees will work on Ukraine’s path to joining the alliance.
At the same time, the head of state called Ukraine’s expected invitation to NATO “a political, final decision of the world, where we are in geopolitics.”
As reported, the NATO summit was held in Vilnius on July 11-12. The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries agreed on the “Joint Declaration on Support for Ukraine”.
Some 28 countries have already joined the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, with some of them the negotiation process has already begun regarding the conclusion of bilateral agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine.
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