Zelensky: Ukraine won’t accept neutrality or limits on its army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv will not accept neutrality or agree to any limits on its army. He called territorial issues a “red line,” and a meeting of Ukraine, the US and Russia is expected in November.

“There can be no talk of neutrality. We should not accept it: our vision broadly matches the American one, and we cannot agree to any restrictions on the Ukrainian army,” Ukrainian media quoted Zelensky as saying. He added that Russia cannot be the one to decide on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Territorial issues, the president stressed, are a “red line” that can be discussed only at the level of top leaders.

In Zelensky’s view, a November meeting of representatives of Ukraine, the US and Russia would help bring leader-level talks closer and secure agreement on a ceasefire. He sees compliance with the energy truce, or consent to a meeting of the three heads of state, as a sign that Russia is ready for peace. Such a meeting could take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Florida in December.

Yury Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US after Nov. 4. He cautioned against inflated expectations, however: the meeting will most likely be preliminary and exploratory. The venue has not yet been settled. Abu Dhabi has been mentioned, but other sites in the Middle East and Europe are also under consideration.

Zelensky also said that, after recent problems, Kyiv is again receiving warnings from the US about Russian ballistic missile strikes. SpaceX’s Starshield satellite communications system has returned to its previous speeds.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz