Zelenskyy Rules Out Army Size Limits and Neutrality in Any Peace Deal
Ukraine's president says restrictions on the Armed Forces and neutral status are not up for discussion, and that territory is a red line for leaders alone to address.
By News Media House Staff ·
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Kyiv will not accept caps on the size of its Armed Forces or a neutral status as part of any future peace agreement. He made the remarks in an interview with TSN-Tyzhden, a Ukrainian television news program.
"The key aspects are that we cannot talk about our country being neutral. And we should not," Zelenskyy said. He added that Ukraine's stance is largely in line with the American one: "we cannot talk about limiting the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
The president also addressed the question of security guarantees for Ukraine, saying they cannot be dictated by Russia. Summing up his position, he said the conclusions are clear. Restrictions on the Armed Forces and Ukraine's neutrality, he said, are not up for discussion.
On the matter of territory, Zelenskyy described it as a red line. In his words, it is an issue that can be discussed exclusively at the level of leaders.
The comments come after a series of public statements by both sides in recent weeks. In early October, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he was ready to resume peace talks as soon as possible, but only on terms acceptable to Russia. He referred to the occupation of the entire Donbas, a neutral status for Ukraine, security guarantees for Russia and what he called "conditions for lasting peace". In his answers, Putin also returned to familiar themes, including the Russian language and the church.
On 24 October, Zelenskyy said he was prepared to accept a peace deal that would freeze the war along the current line of contact. He drew a firm limit, however. Ukraine, he said, would not agree to recognise that "the territory which is temporarily occupied will be Russian territory".
Taken together, the president's statements outline the framework Kyiv is bringing to any renewed negotiations. Ukraine is open to halting the fighting along the present front line, but it rejects constraints on its military, a neutral status, and any formal recognition of occupied land as Russian.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: Ukrainska Pravda
