Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the United States for wanting to open discussions with Russia, accusing Washington of trying to “please Putin” and describing Europe’s defence capacity as “weak,” in an interview aired on Monday on German public broadcaster ARD.
“The problem is that the United States is saying things today that are very pleasing to Putin. I think that’s where the problem lies, because they want to please him,” the Ukrainian leader said in the interview, recorded on Saturday and translated into German.
Zelensky warned that Donald Trump’s conciliatory stance towards the Kremlin aims to “achieve a quick success, but what they want – a simple ceasefire – is not a success,” he added during the interview at the Munich Security Conference.
After a phone call last week between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, senior Russian and American officials are set to meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed, according to Moscow, at restoring bilateral relations and laying the groundwork for negotiations on Ukraine.
US officials have recently deemed territorial concessions to Russia unavoidable and viewed as unrealistic the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO.
“We will not sign anything just for applause,” Zelenskyy cautioned in the interview. He added, in a reference to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories: “We will take everything back.”
The Ukrainian President also stated that Europe is in a weak position if it can no longer rely on the American security umbrella.
“Europe is weak today,” in terms of “combat troop numbers, naval fleet, air force, and drones,” although its capabilities have strengthened in recent years, he said.
While Ukraine has also increased its defence capabilities since the start of the Russian invasion three years ago, “there will certainly be no Ukrainian victory without US support,” according to Zelenskyy.
He mentioned discussing with Donald Trump the potential deployment of foreign troops to monitor a possible ceasefire in Ukraine: “I told him that Americans should be involved, otherwise we risk losing our unity.”
When asked if he would step down from the Ukrainian presidency if necessary to reach an agreement, Zelensky said he was “ready for anything” for “a lasting and strong peace.”
