Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged with NATO leaders and European officials in Brussels to discuss Ukraine's security needs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European leaders during his two-day visit to Brussels to discuss Ukraine's defense needs and the importance of unified international support in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

During the meetings, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for a coordinated approach among Ukraine and its partners to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. He highlighted the critical importance of reliable security guarantees to ensure Ukraine’s future stability and peace.

"I think it's a very good opportunity to speak about security guarantees for Ukraine for today and for tomorrow," Zelenskyy stated. "But it's really very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and to have the same, not divided, the same joint position of Europe."

Rutte reaffirmed the alliance's strong support for Ukraine, pledging continued assistance, including air defense systems and weapons.

"Very much high on the agenda is to make sure that the president, his team, Ukraine are in the best possible position one day, when they decide so, to start the peace talks," he said. "And that means that we have to do everything now to make sure that when it comes to air defense, when it comes to other weapons systems, we provide whatever we can."

Rutte also announced that NATO’s command center in Wiesbaden, Germany, is now fully operational to assist Ukraine with troop training and security efforts. "Allies remain committed to delivering on the financial pledge of €40 billion in security assistance for Ukraine this year, and the NATO command in Wiesbaden for security assistance and training for Ukraine is now up and running," Rutte added. 

In addition to his discussions with NATO leaders, Zelenskyy also met with French President Emmanuel Macron to explore the potential deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

The proposal, first raised by Macron in February, has not yet garnered consensus among European leaders. According to Zelenskyy’s post on X, the two leaders continued to discuss the idea but reached no formal agreement during their informal meeting.

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