Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast on Monday that the United States was trying to “please” Moscow in talks on Ukraine and warned of Europe’s military “weakness”.
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Reacting to conciliatory comments towards Russia by US officials, Zelensky said: “The US is now saying things that are very favourable to Putin … because they want to please him.”
“They want to meet quickly and have a quick win. But what they want – ‘just a ceasefire’ – is not a win,” Zelensky said, according to a translation provided by broadcaster ARD of an interview recorded on Saturday in Munich, Germany.
US President Donald Trump shocked allies last week by announcing he had a direct conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a process to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
US defence chief Pete Hegseth also appeared to rule out Ukraine joining Nato or retaking the territory lost since 2014.
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On the contours of any future deal, Zelensky said “we will not sign just anything in order to be applauded” and stressed that “the fate of our state for generations to come” was at stake.
He rejected the idea of ceding Ukrainian territory that Russia has seized, saying: “We will reclaim it all.”