Zelensky renews call for 'immediate, full and unconditional' ceasefire
On Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his country's call for an "immediate, full and unconditional" ceasefire as European leaders gathered in London for a peace summit.
Referring to a proposal originally made by the United States on 11 March, Zelensky said: "It is absolutely possible - if Russia agrees and stops the killing."
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a brief ceasefire over the Easter period. Zelensky repeated Ukraine's offer to extend this ceasefire for thirty days. "We are also ready for an immediate ceasefire, at least to protect civilian targets," he added.
The first priority is to stop the killing
"Ukraine has repeatedly made clear that it does not rule out any format that could lead to a ceasefire and ultimately to real peace. The first priority is to stop the killing," Zelensky said. "Peace can come in silence, and the first sign of silence is the absence of terror," he concluded in a poetic appeal.
Belgian troops
Meanwhile, Belgian Defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA) said during a parliamentary committee debate on Wednesday that Belgian troops could be deployed quickly if a peace agreement is reached.
"If an agreement on Ukraine is reached this week, security guarantees will be discussed immediately," he said. France and Germany are expected to take the lead with rapid troop deployments and Belgium would most likely be involved," Francken said.
He added that discussions on possible European peacekeeping missions in Ukraine were ongoing: "You may not hear much about it in public, but these discussions are very active behind the scenes."
© DDP
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