MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Ukraine will remain under martial law until Kiev receives security guarantees from its partners, Vladimir Zelensky said.

"Martial law will end when Ukraine has security guarantees. What are security guarantees? Monitoring of partners and their presence," Zelensky said, according to Ukrainian newspaper Novosti. Live.

He added that he would consult with military command before making the decision. According to Zelensky, Kiev expects to receive security guarantees instantaneously upon signing the 20-point peace deal.

Martial law and general mobilization were introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and have been extended several times. Zelensky submits bills to parliament on extension, as a rule, two to three weeks before their expiration date. The Ukrainian authorities have been adamant that new elections cannot be held in the country due to martial law being in place. The next parliamentary elections were to be held in Ukraine at the end of October 2023, and the presidential elections in March 2024. In this situation, the issue of the legitimacy of the current government is periodically raised in the country.

On December 28, US President Donald Trump received Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in the vicinity of West Palm Beach (Florida). After the talks, which lasted more than two hours, Trump and Zelensky had a video conversation with European leaders. According to European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen they talked about security guarantees. Trump said after the meeting with Zelensky that it is Europe that should provide security guarantees for Ukraine in the first place, but the United States is ready to take part in this as well.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS that Zelensky and his European supervisors are not ready for constructive negotiations. Lavrov said Kiev was "terrorizing civilians" in Russia and carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure.