The chief of staff of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed on Wednesday the "concrete results" obtained during the discussions in Paris on guarantees of peace and security for Ukraine, assuring that Kyiv's national interests would be fully defended.
Ukraine is seeking firm commitments from its allies in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, while rejecting the Kremlin's demands to cede the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace. The discussions are taking place within the framework of the "Coalition of the Willing" summit, which primarily brings together European countries, with the participation of American envoys.
“Not all information can be made public, but there are already concrete results, and our work continues,” he said. Kyrylo Budanov, recently appointed chief of staff to Zelensky, in a message posted on Telegram: "Ukrainian national interests will be defended."
These remarks echoed statements made by the Ukrainian president the previous day, indicating that American and Ukrainian officials had exchanged "some ideas" regarding the territorial issue, which he described as the main obstacle to a peace agreement. Kyiv, however, reaffirmed its refusal to withdraw from the Donbas, a strategic and industrialized region in the east of the country.
According to Zelensky, the United States raised the possibility of a special economic zone in parts of Donbas, an idea that has been discussed but remains sensitive. The White House special envoy, Steve Witkoffconfirmed that territorial options had been discussed during the Paris talks and would continue to be discussed in the next stages of negotiations.
