Zelenskiy seeks diplomatic end to Russia's war, floats role for foreign troops

By Yuliia Dysa and Tom Balmforth

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made the case on Monday for a diplomatic settlement to Russia's war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the NATO military alliance.

The remarks at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kyiv's increasing openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing to return to the White House on Jan. 20.

The U.S. president-elect, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the "madness", after he met Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.

"Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.

Zelenskiy's spokesperson Serhiy Nikiforov said later that Kyiv was preparing a December meeting of key European partners who together with the U.S. were "capable of ensuring the maximum strengthening of our state".

The aim was to develop a joint position that would hold strong both in negotiations and on the battlefield, he added.

Zelenskiy said he had discussed a "freezing" of the lines in the war when he met Macron and Trump. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 invasion that unleashed the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

Zelenskiy said he told the two leaders that he did not believe Putin actually wanted to end the war and that the Russian president had to be forced to make peace.

"You can only exert force if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield," he said, implying Kyiv needed help to become stronger.

He received a rhetorical boost from Merz, the frontrunner in the election race to become Germany's next chancellor, who used his visit to liken Berlin's current policy to making Ukraine fight with one arm tied behind its back.

FOREIGN TROOPS

Zelenskiy also returned to an idea raised in February by Macron, who floated the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. There was no consensus on the matter among the European leaders.

"We can think and work on Emmanuel's position. He suggested that some part of troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in NATO," Zelenskiy said.

"But we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in NATO," he added.

Kyiv, which has made a concerted push to obtain an invitation to join NATO, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia launching another invasion once the current hostilities are halted.

"If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in NATO, and even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in NATO, and there will be a pause, then who guarantees us any kind of security?" Zelenskiy asked at the press conference.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and sees Kyiv's membership of the alliance as an unacceptable security threat.

The Ukrainian leader told reporters he was hoping to call outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden in the coming days to discuss NATO membership.

"He is the current president and a lot rides on his opinion. And there is no point in discussing with President Trump something that is not up to him today - while he is not yet in the White House," Zelenskiy said.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke in Kyiv and Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk; Additional reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar and Lidia Kelly; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alex Richardson and Stephen Coates)