ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said US President Donald Trump expressed his readiness to provide his country with security guarantees.

“There must be truly reliable security guarantees. By the way, today President Trump spoke about his support for this and America's readiness to participate,” Zelenskyy told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

During the briefing, held after a video conference involving himself, Trump, Merz, and other European leaders, Zelenskyy said they agreed on five common principles for ending the Ukraine war, ahead of Friday's meeting between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Zelenskyy expressed hope that the central topic of the meeting between Trump and Putin will be an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, and reaffirmed that issues related to the country's territorial integrity cannot be discussed without regard “for our state, our people, the will of the state, the will of our people, and the Constitution of Ukraine.”

He said his position concerning Ukraine's eastern Donbas region remains "unchanged" because it is based on the Constitution.

"As long as the Constitution of the state remains unchanged, the position of the guarantor of this Constitution cannot change," he added.

He argued that sanctions must be strengthened if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska, claiming Putin is “bluffing” when he says sanctions on Moscow do not work.

"He is trying to put pressure on all fronts of the Ukrainian front ahead of the meeting in Alaska. Russia is trying to portray itself as capable of occupying the whole of Ukraine," Zelenskyy claimed.

He also highlighted their need to prepare for a meeting in a trilateral format involving his US and Russian counterparts.

The Ukrainian president added that Trump suggested to contact him after the Alaska meeting and determine their “next steps” following the summit.

Trump and Putin's meeting in Alaska will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since the start of the Ukraine war, which is nearing three-and-a-half years.