The Japan Times - 'Security guarantees' needed to enforce peace deal in Ukraine: Zelensky

After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month truce "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure" to halt the war.

But Zelensky called for "effective security guarantees that will make it impossible for Russian aggression to return" after predicting that Moscow would break any deal.

"Anyone who wants to negotiate does not deliberately hit people with ballistic missiles," Zelensky said in his statement.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, dismissed the Ukraine leader's comments, accusing him of not wanting peace, echoing US criticisms after he was shouted down in the White House last week.

On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training ground, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the frontline.

A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.

There was no official toll but Ukraine's land forces commander Major General Mykhailo Drapaty called the strike, reportedly using ballistic missile, a "tragedy".

- 'Powerful start' -

Zelensky went to London to meet European and NATO leaders on Sunday, after his angry encounter with US President Donald Trump shook faith in US backing for its allies and concern about its pivot to Russia.

Friday's exchange ended without the signing of a deal on sharing Ukrainian mineral rights and some US Republicans openly said Zelensky should be replaced.

Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a "dictator" for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war.

The London gathering reaffirmed European backing for Kyiv and saw a pledge to spend more on security to defend any truce, including, potentially, with troops.

As he left for Kyiv, Zelensky called the talks "a powerful start" but details of "a more actionable plan" needed to be worked through in the weeks to come, he told reporters.

He also dismissed calls for him to step down, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia -- and now the United States under Trump -- opposes.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday's run-in with Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, saying he "demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities".

"He doesn't want peace," Peskov told reporters, adding that the public spat proved Russia's view of the conflict.

US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Ukraine and Europe for being sidelined in the process, and prompting fears in Kyiv and beyond that any deal could threaten the country's future.

Zelensky triggered Trump and Vance's ire by questioning whether Russia could be trusted to uphold a truce. Trump has said he trusts his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "keep his word".

Peskov told reporters: "Although possible peace plans are being initially sketched out, it is not possible yet to say that there is a coherent peace plan."

- US support -

French President Emmanuel Macron told Le Figaro newspaper that a truce would not, initially at least, cover ground fighting, as the size of the meandering front line would make it hard to enforce.

Macron also suggested that European countries should raise their defence spending to between 3.0 and 3.5 percent of GDP to respond to Washington's shifting priorities and Russia's militarisation.

Shares in European defence companies soared on Monday as a result.

Macron met Trump in Washington last week, as did Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with both seeking to keep Trump onside.

Starmer on Sunday insisted that the United States was "not an unreliable ally" despite Trump's overtures to Putin and open hostility to Zelensky.

US support was still needed to end the fighting, he said.

"I am ready to engage in any kind of constructive format in relations with the US," he said.

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M.Matsumoto--JT