Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy answered the questions of journalists at the press conference held after the European Political Community Summit held in the historical Mimi Castle in Moldova, 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
President Zelenskiy stated that “Ukraine should do everything to take a step forward in its rapprochement with NATO and take this signal from the member states of the alliance”.
Evaluating that Russia might not have attacked if Ukraine were in NATO, Zelenskiy said, “This shows that NATO is the best security guarantee.” said.
Zelensky: We need modern warplanes
Zelenskiy thanked his Western partners for the decision to supply Ukraine with F-16 planes, but reminded that the planes would be delivered after a certain period of time.
Emphasizing that they need modern warplanes, Zelenskiy said, “We have to live until we receive the planes. We will certainly do this, but for this we need protection. We need more Patriots until we have a plane.” he said.
“Ukraine will play a key role in resolving the Transnistria conflict”
Touching on the issue of Transnistria region, which is located in Moldova and declared its independence unilaterally, Zelenskiy said that within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), 5+2 representatives of Transnistria, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, USA and OSCE and European Union are involved in the solution of the issue. He stated that the format was “lifeless”.
Zelensky said, “It will be necessary to talk about the position of a strong state, a victorious state that has regained its territory. We have a common attitude with this country in terms of the unity of Moldova.” he said.
Pointing out that Romania and other partners can be involved in the solution of the Transnistria problem, Zelenskiy said, “However, Ukraine will definitely play one of the key roles. Because we have a common border.” used the phrase.
When asked about the fate of the Russian troops in Transnistria, Zelensky said, “They will want to live. They will go.” gave the answer.
President Zelenskiy also stated that they can only react and help in the solution of the Transnistria problem if Moldova requests it.