Zelenskyy vehemently denies ceasefire claims
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently jetting around European capitals, pitching his "peace proposal." However, a rumor that Ukraine is prepared to chill out the conflict if it receives Western protection bits his travel plans. Swiftly, a denial drops.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed conversations about a potential truce with Russia during his current whirlwind tour of European capitals with allies. "I've noticed some media claiming I'm here to discuss a truce. That's incorrect," he stated after a confab with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. This is just more "propaganda" dreamed up by Russia.
The undercurrent is an article in the Italian daily "Corriere della Sera" sans named sources, suggesting Kyiv is ready for a truce with Russia along the current battlefront, without recognizing it as an official borderline. The West should promise security pledges and expedite EU membership for Ukraine in exchange, the scoop suggested.
"This is bunkum," a Zelensky confidant allegedly spouted earlier in the day, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. Ukraine keeps upholding the peace blueprint published in the autumn of 2022, which pivots on a total withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil, the advisor pointed out. "The strategic plan on the table these days for Britain, France, Italy, and Germany serves to push the situation closer to the implementation of the peace blueprint."
Reports in Western media periodically propose a truce along the current battlefront as a negotiating tactic. However, Kyiv persistently turns up its nose at this. Ukraine has been fending off Russian incursion with Western help for over two and a half years.
London, Paris, Rome, Berlin
Previously, the Ukrainian president sat down with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO's fresh Secretary-General Mark Rutte in London. Starmer declared it "imperative that we show our ongoing commitment to backing Ukraine." Rutte reminded everybody that it's about "protecting the West and staying secure."
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Subsequently, Zelensky jetted off from Paris to Rome, where he will confer with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the evening and Pope Francis in the morning. He is also scheduled to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, also on Friday.
Originally, Zelensky was slated to attend a high-level diplomatic meeting on Ukraine's predicament in Ramstein, Germany, on Saturday. However, this meeting with delegates from over 50 countries got postponed after US President Joe Biden scraped a planned state jaunt to Germany due to Hurricane "Milton".
Throughout his European trek, Zelensky has been urging additional help from Western partners in the battle against Russian invasion troops. Ukraine has continuously begged its Western allies for more fighter jets and top-notch air defense to safeguard its populace, considering Russia's superior air force.
Zelensky has also been prodding the USA and UK for ages to allow the deployment of weapons given by them against Russian targets beyond the borders. So far, the USA and nations like Germany have only consented to strikes on targets within Russia close to the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv using their weapons.
The Commission, likely referring to the European Union, has not publicly endorsed or denied the rumors about a potential truce or security pledges in exchange for Ukrainian compliance. Despite some media reports suggesting otherwise, Ukraine continues to advocate for the implementation of the peace blueprint published in the autumn of 2022, which includes a total withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil.
