Zelensky discusses US troop presence in Ukraine with Trump

Summary

• Zelensky is discussing potential US troop presence in Ukraine with Washington for security guarantees, aiming to strengthen Kyiv's position.
• Russia alleges Ukraine attacked Putin's residence, which Ukraine denies, calling it a "complete fabrication". Russia threatens retaliation.
• Trump and Zelensky are "maybe very close" to a peace deal, while Tusk suggests peace is achievable in weeks with US security guarantees.

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec 30 Kyiv was discussing with Washington a possible presence of US troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees, and also raised what he called a faked attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence.

Mr Zelensky told the media in a WhatsApp chat that Kyiv was committed to continuing talks on how to end the war triggered by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and he was ready to meet Mr Putin in any format.

US President Donald Trump said on Dec 28 he and Mr Zelensky were “maybe very close” to an agreement
to end the war although “thorny” territorial issues lingered.

He was more cautious than Mr Zelensky on security guarantees,
but said they were 95 per cent of the way to such an agreement and that he expected European countries to “take over a big part” of that effort with US backing.

On Dec 30, Russia said its negotiating stance would toughen after it accused Kyiv of attacking one of Mr Putin’s Russian presidential residences
- an allegation that Kyiv said was baseless and intended to scuttle arduous peace talks.

Keen on US troops in Ukraine

Mr Zelensky said in his WhatsApp chat that a US troop presence in Ukraine would be a major security boost for Kyiv.

“Of course, we are discussing this with President Trump and with representatives of the (Western) coalition (supporting Kyiv). We want this. We would like this. This would be a strong position of the security guarantees,” he said.

The White House had no comment on the issue of dispatching US troops to Ukraine under any peace settlement with Russia.

Mr Zelensky said he was willing to meet Mr Putin despite the deep lack of mutual trust he underlined on Dec 29.

“I told President Trump, European leaders I am ready for any format of meeting with Putin. I am not afraid of any format... The main thing is for Russians not to be afraid.”

Russia said on Dec 29 Kyiv had targeted a presidential residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones, all of which it said it had intercepted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the alleged attack as “state terrorism” and said Moscow had already identified targets for retaliatory strikes in Ukraine.

The Kremlin provided no physical evidence
of the alleged incident, saying it would retaliate and review its negotiating stance but would not quit talks on a possible peace deal.

No evidence of attack on Putin residence

Mr Zelensky said earlier on Dec 30: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies.”

In Paris, a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no substance to corroborate Moscow’s accusation of an attack on Mr Putin’s residence.

“Ukraine and its partners are committed to a path of peace, while Russia has chosen to continue and intensify its war against Ukraine. This is in itself an act of defiance against President Trump’s peace agenda,” the source said.

The White House declined further comment on the reported attack on Mr Putin’s residence after Mr Zelensky said he brought it up with Mr Trump, who on Dec 29 said he was informed of the matter by Mr Putin and was angry about it. Asked if there was evidence of such an attack, Mr Trump said, “We’ll find out.”

In Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Dec 30 that peace could be achieved in Ukraine within weeks
thanks to US security guarantees although success remained “far from 100 per cent certain”.

Mr Tusk also hinted at the possibility of US troops being sent to the line of contact between Ukraine and Russia, but he gave no details of such a proposal and the White House did not immediately comment on his remarks.

Mr Tusk, whose country is one of Kyiv’s closest Western allies, underlined the need for movement on territorial issues. Russia had demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from the last part of the Donbas area
in eastern Ukraine that they still hold nearly four years after Russia’s invasion. Kyiv wants fighting halted along current front lines.

Amid the intensifying peace diplomacy, Russia launched more waves of drones against port infrastructure and civilian ships
in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Dec 30, Ukrainian navy and government officials said.

Odesa and the wider region nearby are home to the Black Sea ports that are crucial for Ukraine’s foreign trade and the survival of its wartime economy.

In the past several months, maritime warfare between Ukraine and Russia has intensified. Both sides have attacked naval and commercial assets in the Black Sea and beyond.

Ukraine is increasingly using its sea drones for attacks on ships connected to Russia’s sanctions-busting shadow fleet. REUTERS