Zelenskyy's Call at Paris Summit: We Need a "Clear Plan" on Peacekeepers in Ukraine and Keeping Sanctions on Russia
During a meeting of leaders to support Ukraine in Paris, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on partner countries to create ‘one clear plan’ for the deployment of their peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and noted that now is not the time to lift sanctions against Russia.
He said this in his speech at the summit, according to the Ukrainian president's website.
Zelenskyy thanked France, the United Kingdom and other countries for their support and stressed that the allies must decide on the deployment of their forces, including when the coalition will deploy them - during the ceasefire or after the war.
‘We need one clear plan – one that we all agree on and start implementing, based on the options and plans that have already been discussed with you and are available to you. We want to invite a small group of people – your representatives – to Ukraine to develop this plan together,’ he said.
The Ukrainian president called on the partners to answer some very specific questions:
Which countries will be involved on the ground, in the sky and at sea in Ukraine?
Where exactly will these forces be deployed?
What will be the size and structure of these forces?
What will their response procedures be in the event of a threat?
When will the Coalition of the Willing actually deploy forces in Ukraine - when the ceasefire begins or when the war is completely over and a settlement is reached?
Zelenskyy also emphasised the need to maintain and even strengthen sanctions against the aggressor country of Russia.
‘Lifting sanctions on Russia right now would be a disaster for diplomacy. Sanctions are one of the few real tools the world has to pressure Russia into serious talks. What else is out there, apart from sanctions? If sanctions are weakened and Russia breaks the deal, bringing sanctions back will be incredibly slow and difficult. And by then, many will simply stop believing that sanctions actually work.
Russia breaks its promises way too often – we can’t take steps toward them unless they really change. Sanctions must stay in place for as long as the aggression and occupation continue. I’m asking all of you to stay firm and to work with our other partners to keep the pressure on Russia,’ the Ukrainian president said.
As The Gaze reported, in March, EU ambassadors have extended sanctions against individuals involved in violations or threats to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.