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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/zelenskyy-europe-cannot-guarantee-ukraines-security-without-america>
"If Donald Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine, Europe alone will be unable
to fill the gap, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned, on the eve of what could be
his most consequential diplomatic trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion three
years ago.
“There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without
the Americans, and I always say no,” said the Ukrainian president during an
hour-long interview with the
Guardian at the presidential administration in
Kyiv. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees,”
he added.
Trump has said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but sceptics fear that a
US-brokered deal could involve forcing Ukraine to capitulate to Vladimir
Putin’s maximalist demands. Zelenskyy said he was ready to negotiate, but
wanted Ukraine to do so from a “position of strength”, and said he would offer
American companies lucrative reconstruction contracts and investment
concessions to try to get Trump onside.
“Those who are helping us to save Ukraine will [have the chance to] renovate
it, with their businesses together with Ukrainian businesses. All these things
we are ready to speak about in detail,” he said.
Zelenskyy will travel to the Munich Security Conference later this week, where
he expects to meet the US vice-president, JD Vance, one of the most hostile
towards Ukraine among Trump’s inner circle. At last year’s conference, Vance,
then a senator, refused to meet Zelenskyy, and he has previously said he does
not “really care what happens to Ukraine, one way or the other”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
