Zelensky Arrives in Washington: ‘The War Must End in a Reliable Way’

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed a desire for an immediate and reliable end to the war ahead of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C.
President Zelenskyy emphasized the need to prevent a repeat of the security guarantee failures and past conflicts in Crimea and Donbas.
He revealed plans to meet with leaders of major European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy after the bilateral summit, highlighting efforts to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. and Europe's key nations.

Visited the U.S. ahead of Trump Meeting on the 18th

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, arrived in Washington, D.C., United States, on the 17th (local time), a day ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump.

Immediately after his arrival in the U.S., President Zelenskyy shared a message on Telegram saying, “Tomorrow, I will have a conversation with President Trump. I thank President Trump for the invitation,” and added, “We want to see this war end quickly and in a trustworthy way.”

He stressed, “Peace must be maintained,” and, “It must be different from years ago, when Ukraine was forced to cede Crimea and parts of Donbas. It should also be different from the time when ‘security guarantees’ did not work.”

In 2014, Russia forcibly annexed Crimea, Ukraine. Ukraine had signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, which guaranteed its territory and sovereignty in exchange for abandoning nuclear weapons, but that promise was not kept.

President Zelenskyy continued, “Russia must end the war it started,” and added, “With the collective strength of the United States and our European allies, we hope to pressure Russia into agreeing to a real peace.”

Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with President Trump for a bilateral summit at the White House office at around 1:15 p.m. on the 18th, the day after his arrival. He is also expected to hold subsequent meetings with European leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy.

Sesung Oh, Hankyung.com Reporter sesung@hankyung.com