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Zelenskyy’s New Security Push Follows Talks With Key US Figures
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![Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko]( "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Senator Lindsey Graham, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on April 1.
Zelenskyy described the conversation as positive. The participants agreed to strengthen security guarantees for Ukraine, leading the President to instruct his team to update relevant documents.
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At the same time, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is working with countries interested in Ukrainian military expertise.
Beyond the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Türkiye and several nations outside the Middle East have expressed interest in cooperating with Ukraine.
These diplomatic efforts occurred as Ukrainian forces engaged in a full day of drone interception operations against Russian forces. Air raid alerts were active across most regions as Russia launched more than 700 drones, many of which were Shahed models. While the interception rate reached approximately 90%, Zelenskyy noted the need for even higher effectiveness.
Despite the interceptions, several strikes were reported in the Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Recovery efforts are underway in all affected areas.
Russia focused its attacks on energy infrastructure, though food warehouses and a Nova Poshta terminal were damaged in Lutsk. Residential buildings also sustained damage in the Poltava region and other areas.
Zelenskyy characterized the strikes as Russia’s response to a proposal for an Easter ceasefire. Ukraine had openly suggested a temporary halt to hostilities for the holiday. According to the President, Russia responded with drones and continued operations against energy and civilian infrastructure.
During his discussions with the American team, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for different signals. He stated that "silence at Easter could have been exactly that signal that tells everyone: diplomacy can be successful."
He added that "Ukraine is doing everything to support work for the sake of peace."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had set a two-month deadline for Ukraine to voluntarily withdraw from the Donbas region as a precondition for ending the war.
During a press briefing on March 31, the President revealed that the Kremlin had informed American negotiators of its intent to seize the region by force if Ukrainian troops did not leave.
Zelenskyy expressed skepticism regarding Russia's ultimate goals and questioned why the terms of peace would change if their objective was limited only to Donbas. Despite the pressure, he emphasized that Moscow would be unable to occupy the entire region within the specified timeframe and reaffirmed that Ukraine would not abandon the 200,000 citizens still living there.
Additionally, the President noted that he had opted for diplomacy by accepting a US proposal to freeze the frontline, but Russia had rejected the approach in favor of a full Ukrainian withdrawal.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
