Kyiv –
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky asked for security guarantees from the United States (US). Zelensky even brought Israel in.
Reported CNN, Tuesday (29/8/2023), Zelensky hopes Washington will provide long-term military assistance to Kyiv. Zelensky brought up aid from the US for Tel Aviv.
This hope was conveyed by Zelensky in an interview with local Ukrainian media. He said security guarantees from the US should include “shields and swords”.
Such security guarantees, according to Zelensky, will be obtained through the process of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. Zelensky said the security guarantees could be strengthened through a bilateral agreement with the US.
“We will probably have a similar model to the United States, like the Israeli model, where we get weapons, technology, training, finance, etc. Something like Israel has, but we have a different enemy,” Zelensky said.
For information, the US and Israel have signed various security agreements since the founding of the Jewish state. In the agreement, Washington guarantees what it calls a Qualitative Military Advantage for Israel, compared to other powers in the Middle East region.
Israel, as reported by Russian media RT, became the largest recipient of foreign military aid since World War II. However, the annual aid allocation to Ukraine has exceeded that provided to Israel. Ukraine has accepted this since the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv broke out last year.
Israel is not actually a member of NATO. This means that members of the security bloc are not legally obligated to defend the Jewish state in the event of an attack. However, Washington insists its commitment to Israel’s security is a very strong commitment.
Zelensky was also asked whether the West’s security guarantees for Ukraine would survive if there was a change of leadership in the US. In the interview on 1+1 TV, Zelensky insisted that such security guarantees would not depend on who occupied the White House.
“Those are matters that are decided in the (US) Congress,” Zelensky said, adding that similar agreements with European countries would also be ratified by their national legislatures.
In recent weeks, Western media have reported that the US is unlikely to maintain this level of support for Ukraine next year. This is predicted to happen because President Joe Biden, who is sheltered by the Democratic Party, will fight for his second term in the presidential election.
Several Republican candidates have called for aid to Ukraine to be phased out altogether or at least reduced and more closely monitored. One of those who criticized US aid policies for Ukraine was former US President Donald Trump, who currently leads the race for the Republican Party in a number of opinion polls.
(haf/haf)
