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| Zelenskiy pleads for ‘security guarantees’ for Ukraine and Moldova | Zelenskiy pleads for ‘security guarantees’ for Ukraine and Moldova |
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| Ukrainian president tells summit of European leaders in Moldova that countries need protection from Russia | Ukrainian president tells summit of European leaders in Moldova that countries need protection from Russia |
| Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the international community to put concrete “security guarantees” in place in Ukraine and its neighbour Moldova to give the countries enduring protection against Russia. | Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the international community to put concrete “security guarantees” in place in Ukraine and its neighbour Moldova to give the countries enduring protection against Russia. |
| His plea at the start of a summit of 47 European leaders in Moldova came as officials confirmed that an 11-year-old girl, her mother and another woman had been killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Thursday. | His plea at the start of a summit of 47 European leaders in Moldova came as officials confirmed that an 11-year-old girl, her mother and another woman had been killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Thursday. |
| First to arrive at the summit in Moldova, the Ukrainian president said he would also be speaking on Thursday to “partner countries” about putting in place a “potential air jets coalition” and a coalition providing Patriot missiles. | |
| “That is our new initiative and we really need it,” he said after a 20-minute bilateral meeting with the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu. | “That is our new initiative and we really need it,” he said after a 20-minute bilateral meeting with the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu. |
| “I think security guarantees are very important not only for Ukraine, [but also] for our neighbours, for Moldova because of Russia, their aggressions in Ukraine and potential aggression in other parts of Europe,” he said. | “I think security guarantees are very important not only for Ukraine, [but also] for our neighbours, for Moldova because of Russia, their aggressions in Ukraine and potential aggression in other parts of Europe,” he said. |
| On Wednesday Emmanuel Macron called on the international community to offer Ukraine “tangible and credible” Israeli-style security guarantees, saying it was in the rest of the continent’s interest. | |
| “We have to build something between the security provided to Israel and full-fledged membership,” said Macron. | “We have to build something between the security provided to Israel and full-fledged membership,” said Macron. |
| Security guarantees are seen as a long-term alliance with US and European defence capabilities without full membership of Nato, which is not possible while war is ongoing as it would pull the organisation into the conflict on the ground. | Security guarantees are seen as a long-term alliance with US and European defence capabilities without full membership of Nato, which is not possible while war is ongoing as it would pull the organisation into the conflict on the ground. |
| Some have suggested that countries including the US, UK, France, Germany and others could place their own troops in Ukraine postwar, in the same way that Nato offers security to member states that border Russia. | |
| Zelenskiy restated his belief in the importance of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s membership in Nato with the support of its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, which would allow them to strengthen their national security against Russian aggression. | |
| Tight security surrounds the summit, which is being held just 12 miles (20km) from the Ukrainian border at the Mimi Castle vineyard, which is also 3 miles from Transnistria, a separatist region of Moldova where Russian troops are stationed. | |
| Access to the main airport was severely restricted with British and Nato planes patrolling the skies as part of an air defence exercise, Air Bastion 2023. | |
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| Top of the agenda is Ukraine but the recent violence in Kosovo will also feature, and France and Germany will host a round table involving the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in an effort to broker a peace deal between the two countries. | |
| Sunak has made migration his top priority and will co-chair a working group with Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, with brief talks anticipated with the leaders of Spain, Bulgaria and Poland. | Sunak has made migration his top priority and will co-chair a working group with Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, with brief talks anticipated with the leaders of Spain, Bulgaria and Poland. |
| Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said he “absolutely” agreed with Sunak that “migration should be high on the agenda along with efforts to build a coalition to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. | |
| “Migration has to be high on the agenda. Of course number one has to be Ukraine and Moldova, there’s no doubt about it. We are working with the Brits on the F-16 fighter jet coalition but I agree with Rishi we also have to discuss migration and we will do so, absolutely.” | |
| He also said EU leaders would be looking to “sketch out” the path for Ukraine’s future security, working with the “Danish and the British to begin with”, adding that Ukraine is in “urgent need of new Patriot systems”. |