Zelenskyy says Ukraine, not Russia, is facing pressure to make concessions to end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the United States of focusing on Ukrainian concessions to end the war, rather than pressuring Russia.
His comments come as Ukraine, Russia and the United States prepare for a new round of trilateral talks next week, and after Trump urged Zelensky on Friday to “move,” saying Russia was ready to make a deal.
“The Americans often return to the topic of concessions,” Zelenskyy said while addressing his key allies at the Munich security conference. “Too often, these concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia. »
Ukraine, Russia and the United States held their first trilateral negotiations on a peace deal last month, and more negotiations are expected to take place on Tuesday.
“We sincerely hope that next week’s trilateral meetings will be serious, substantive and useful for all of us, but honestly, sometimes it feels like the parties are talking about finalizing different things,” Zelenskyy added.
Trump told reporters Friday: “Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelensky is going to have to act. Otherwise, he’s going to miss a great opportunity.”
Conference moderator Christiane Amanpour relayed Trump’s latest comments to the Ukrainian president during a question-and-answer session after his speech, asking if he was feeling the pressure.
“A little,” Zelenskyy replied.
Zelensky then met with a bipartisan group of US senators.
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Hours before Zelensky’s speech, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the conference that the “most difficult questions” still needed to be answered before peace could be achieved.
“We don’t know that the Russians really want to end the war. They pretend they do,” Rubio said in a short question-and-answer session after his speech, adding: “We’re going to continue to test it.”
He added: “What we can’t answer, but we will test, is whether there is an outcome that Ukraine can live with and that Russia will accept, and I would say that has been elusive so far. »
Although officials described January’s trilateral talks as constructive, major obstacles remain, chief among them the future of Ukraine’s eastern territory, where Moscow has shown no signs of softening its demands.
The Kremlin said in January that kyiv’s army would have to withdraw from the region for a deal to end the war.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said before the talks that the negotiations “come down to one issue.” Although he did not elaborate, many interpreted this to mean territorial concessions from Ukraine.
“The good news is that the problems that need to be addressed to end this war have been reduced,” Rubio said in Munich. “The bad news is that they have been limited to the most difficult questions to answer and there is still work to be done on that front.”
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbass region seized before the 2022 invasion. Polls show the majority of Ukrainians oppose a deal that would cede land to Moscow.
“I don’t think anyone in this room would be against a negotiated settlement to this war, as long as the terms are just and lasting, and that’s what we’re aiming for,” Rubio added.
Zelensky said in Munich that it was an illusion to believe the war could end by dividing Ukraine, and that he believed it could be ended with dignity for his country.
Peace can only be built on clear security guarantees, he added, saying that where there is no clear security system, “war always returns.”
“Europe needs a real common defense policy, just as it already has so much in common in economics, law and social policy,” he said before ending his speech and asking the crowd: “Please watch out for Ukraine.”
