The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that the United States asked, for the first time, whether Kyiv would agree to withdraw its troops from the Donbass areas it still controls in exchange for the country’s entry into NATO.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated that he would not relinquish his territory. Zelensky also stated that Washington raised the possibility of creating a new security structure for Europe as part of negotiations to end the war with Russia.
He warned that Moscow could use these discussions to weaken NATO and redraw the continent’s borders.
“In my opinion, this could be dangerous,” Zelensky told reporters on Friday, the 13th, referring to the new security structure. “That should not be the main agenda.” His remarks were embargoed until Saturday.
He said he believed Moscow is interested in reopening broader discussions on European security, rather than focusing exclusively on ending the four-and-a-half-year war.
“Putin’s desire to redraw the borders of Europe is a fact. I’m sure this is part of his plan to revise security guarantees in Europe,” he said. “This is dangerous because, in my view, it is these very issues that lead to wars or to the escalation of conflicts.”
European leaders have stressed that decisions about the continent’s security must be taken by Europeans themselves, warning against the possibility of allowing Russia to dictate the terms of a new security order or to negotiate NATO’s future.
The president said Ukraine is discussing with its partners a comprehensive security package that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, the maintenance of robust Ukrainian armed forces, and financial support for a defined period. The package would also include a reconstruction plan.
“If the American side confirms exactly this, along with other NATO partners, then I will ask Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept or not?” Zelensky said.
He stressed that any agreement would not involve recognizing the occupied territories as part of Russia.
Zelensky also rejected the possibility of Ukraine taking on a neutrality pledge, saying that this would require a constitutional change in the country.
“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be formalized, that will not happen,” he said. “In any case, we are not in NATO at this moment.”
Ukraine hits another major oil facility in Russia
Ukrainian attacks on the Samara oil-pipeline station, near the village of Prosvet in Russia’s Samara region, caused fires in several oil storage tanks on Friday, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. Moscow did not comment on the attack.
The facility is a crucial part of the network responsible for exporting Russian oil to international markets, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
The armed forces also said they had hit the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Russia’s Lipetsk region.
Separately, 22 people, including three children, were injured in a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on Friday, according to the Ukrainian Emergency Service.
Among the injured are a six-month-old baby, a two-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old boy.
Zelenski says Europe must decide its own future
Zelensky warned that broader discussions about Europe’s security could allow Putin to seek changes in NATO’s military presence, including the withdrawal of American troops.
He said Putin presented similar ideas to then-U.S. President Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and the world.
“I think Putin will raise the issue of Finland and Sweden. I am sure he will address the matter of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic states,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said that any changes to Europe’s security agreements should be decided by European NATO members only after the war ends.
“The sequence should be as follows: a ceasefire, the end of the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said. “There cannot be security guarantees for Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Cease-fire in the energy sector and prisoner exchange
Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s priorities in the Abu Dhabi negotiations included a ceasefire involving energy infrastructure, the reopening of the Black Sea, the release of prisoners, and preparations for a leaders’ meeting aimed at ending the war.
According to him, Russian negotiators did not have authority to decide on several issues, and Moscow was not willing to accept a ceasefire in the energy sector.
“At the Abu Dhabi meeting, the Russian delegation said they had no mandate to decide this issue, but we can also see that they are not willing,” he said.
The negotiators were instructed to resolve ceasefire-related issues directly with Putin.
Zelensky said that talks held in Moscow with American negotiators resulted in an agreement to swap more than a thousand prisoners of war on each side.
The exact number was still being determined, he said, estimating between 1,200 and 1,300 prisoners.
The Ukrainian president said that Washington supported Kyiv’s demand that European countries participate directly in future negotiations, instead of staying off the main negotiation table.
Britain, France, Germany and Italy participated in the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to Zelensky. He said he expected three to five European representatives to attend the next discussions.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow was open to European participation and added that it “would help us understand how their position could contribute to the peace process.”
Peskov said Russia would accept any representatives that European countries decided to send.
Restrictions on the Starshield system
Zelensky accused SpaceX of imposing restrictions on its Starshield satellite system in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, saying the limitations were hindering attempts to intercept Russian drones.
According to him, the system’s operating speed was limited to a maximum of 161 km/h in occupied areas, and the restrictions had been in place for five days.
Zelensky questioned the explanation that the problem was technical, stating that the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX, despite prior assurances from the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that Starshield was more directly under the U.S. government’s control.
“The current restrictions on Starshield suggest they were imposed by SpaceX,” Zelensky said. “That is what our team is telling me. So this does not exactly match what we heard earlier. That is why we need to clarify the whole situation.”
He said the restrictions prevented Ukrainian forces from intercepting Shahed drones, equipped with jet engines, over occupied territories, while the unmanned aircraft approached from the east.
As a result, Ukrainian forces were forced to wait until the drones reached areas where the restrictions did not apply.
*Source: Associated Press
*This content was translated with the aid of AI tools and reviewed by the editorial team of Estadão. Learn more in our AI Policy.
