Ukraine must be involved in any agreement with Moscow: Zelenskiy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Thursday that Ukraine will not accept any agreement regarding its future made solely between Moscow and Washington without Kyiv’s involvement.

Speaking at a nuclear plant en route to the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy emphasized the need for Europe to be included in any discussions aimed at ending the war.

This came a day after US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, initiating negotiations.

Zelenskiy firmly stated, “We, as an independent country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.”

His comments were a response to alarm in Europe over potential US-Russia discussions that might exclude Ukraine and European nations. US Defense Secretary’s remarks about Kyiv’s NATO membership and pre-2014 borders also raised concerns.

He urged the US and Ukraine to create a war-ending plan before engaging in talks with Russia, reiterating the importance of not allowing Putin to control the negotiation process.

Zelenskiy has pushed for a meeting with Trump before any potential summit with Putin, although Trump’s meeting with the Russian leader could take place in Saudi Arabia.

Regarding NATO membership, Zelenskiy stated that he did not discuss the issue during his call with Trump but acknowledged the US opposition. While he downplayed the significance of Trump’s priority to call Putin before him, Zelenskiy noted it was still "unpleasant."

As the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches, Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine, steadily advancing in the east, while Ukraine struggles with manpower shortages and defending territory in the west.