No decisions about Ukraine’s future should be made without its participation and without 'clear security guarantees,' says Zelenskyy following phone talks with Canadian premier and Lithuanian president
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday claimed that Russia’s goal is to “buy time” rather than end the war.
“We see it the same way, and it is obvious that the Russians simply want to buy time, not end the war,” Zelenskyy stated on X, following his talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on the phone.
He stressed that no decisions about Ukraine’s future should be made without its participation and without “clear security guarantees.”
The Ukrainian leader said he and Carney agreed that sanctions against Russia must remain in place and be strengthened until such guarantees are in place.
Following his conversation with Nauseda, Zelenskyy thanked Lithuania and other Northern European and Baltic nations for backing Ukraine’s sovereignty and supporting stronger sanctions.
Both leaders agreed that a ceasefire must precede any diplomatic talks, warning that other arrangements risk allowing Moscow to rebuild its forces.
Zelenskyy also expressed appreciation for Lithuania’s role in supplying Patriot air defense systems and reiterated Kyiv’s position that Ukraine and Moldova should advance toward EU membership “in a synchronized and simultaneous manner.”
Ukraine has repeatedly said that any peace deal without firm security commitments would leave the country vulnerable to renewed Russian attacks.
