UPDATE WITH MORE REMARKS FROM UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday voiced hope that US President-elect Donald Trump could play a role in bringing an end to the war with Russia.
"I want very much for Trump to help us and to finish this war," Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Brussels, where he is attending an EU Council meeting.
He emphasized the critical importance of US support for peace and its role for shaping the outcome of the conflict with Russia.
"We are waiting for the inauguration of the new president, Donald Trump, and we would like to start having a serious plan of how to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," he added.
Zelenskyy also pointed to the possibility of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying: "I very much want peace. But how to end the war without negotiations with Putin?"
Trump has previously stated that if reelected, he could end the conflict within 24 hours, but he has yet to elaborate on the specifics of his plan.
- Call for More air defense systems
Zelenskyy emphasized the urgent need for additional air defense systems to safeguard the nation against Russian missile attacks and said that without the necessary systems, Ukraine could face a severe electricity shortage next winter.
"More than 22 (electricity) stations are actually involved in generation. We need 19 additional (defense) systems to protect the network. Otherwise, we will be without four or five gigawatts of electricity next winter," he said.
He added that shipments of some of these systems have already been confirmed from Canada and Germany, though the country still requires significantly more to ensure full protection.
Zelenskyy also raised concerns about the need for advanced systems such as the Patriots to defend Ukrainian cities, an issue that Ukraine is actively addressing with its allies.
"We need Patriots in order to protect our towns and cities," he said, outlining the importance of these systems for the nation's defense.
- Calls for unified support from Europe, US
Zelenskyy also called for unified support from Europe and the US.
He reaffirmed that NATO remains the best security guarantee for Ukraine, but also underscored that security guarantees must be discussed in detail with both European and American leaders.
Addressing the issue of security guarantees, he said that European guarantees “will not be sufficient for Ukraine" without the involvement of the US.
He also said that Ukraine will no longer continue the transit of Russian gas through its territory.
Zelensky said that allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine would mean indirectly enabling Russia to fund its war, increasing its economic power while the war continues.
"Any country of the world that could get something cheap from Russia will become 100% dependent on the Russian Federation," he said.