Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday after a flurry of phone calls with leaders of allied countries that Europe must do “much more” to bring about peace.
After speaking to the leaders of countries including Germany and Poland on Friday, Zelensky said in his televised evening address that “Europe must and can do much more to ensure that peace is actually achieved” in Ukraine.
Zelensky added that “it is possible” to achieve an end to the war with Russia since Ukraine and its partners in Europe have “clear proposals”.
“On this basis we can ensure the implementation of a European strategy, and it is important that this is done together with America,” he said.
The United States is pressing Zelensky’s team to sign a deal giving it access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits and Zelensky said he hoped for a “fair result”.
“This is an agreement that can add value to our relationship, and the main thing is to work out the details so that it can work,” he said after facing a series of tirades from US President Donald Trump over Ukraine’s refusal to immediately sign the deal.
In a bid to rally his allies Zelensky on Friday spoke to European leaders from Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Croatia, as well as the president of Ivory Coast.
His aide Andriy Yermak also spoke to a Brazilian counterpart.
