Ukrainian president’s remarks came after Trump said U.S. and Russian officials were “already talking” bilaterally about the war in Ukraine.
KYIV — Excluding Kyiv from negotiations about ending Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine would send a “very dangerous” signal to the world’s dictators, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“If there will be direct talks between America and Russia without Ukraine, it is very dangerous, I think,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Associated Press published on Saturday. “They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” he said.
Such U.S.-Russia negotiations would allow Putin to “show that he was right. He got impunity, and compromise,” Zelenskyy said. “This will mean that anyone can act like this. And this will be a signal to other leaders of the big countries who think about doing the same,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelenskyy’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump said late Friday that American and Russian officials were “already talking” bilaterally about the war in Ukraine. Trump said his administration has had “very serious” discussions with Moscow, but he did not elaborate.
Kyiv has already had contacts with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, as well as with U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Vice President JD Vance. Zelenskyy and Trump have briefly met twice, with one meeting pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The government in Kyiv is still waiting for Kellogg and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with top Ukrainian diplomats, and wants another personal meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy to happen.
“First and foremost, we need to hold a meeting with him,” Zelenskyy told the AP.
“I believe after our talk with Trump we should move on to some kind of format of conversation with the Russians. I would like to see the United States, Ukraine and Russians at the negotiating table because they are fighting against us. And the European Union voice has to be present,” Zelenskyy added.
Kyiv has been pushing allies not to talk about the ending the conflict behind Ukraine’s back and arguing only peace through strength can stop Putin.
Trump has threatened more sanctions and tariffs on Russia if Putin does not stop the invasion, but at the same time the U.S. has suspended vital humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Rubio said in a recent interview that Ukraine was set back 100 years by Russia’s war but still will have to make compromises as well as the Kremlin.
“We think what Putin did was terrible, invading the country, the atrocities he’s committed, he did horrible things. But what the dishonesty that existed is that we somehow led people to believe that Ukraine would be able to push Russia back to what the world looked like in 2012 or 2014 before the Russians took Crimea,” Rubio said.
“And the result what they have been asking for is to fund a protracted stalemate in which human suffering continues … and it has to end,” Rubio added.
Last week Putin claimed Zelenskyy has no right to sign any potential peace deals, as he has lost legitimacy because Ukraine can’t conduct presidential elections during war. This is not true, as martial law bans elections and prolongs Zelenskyy’s legitimacy until after the end of hostilities, because Kyiv cannot guarantee the safety of voters and election observers amid the war.