Zelenskyy hints in Munich that Trump does not need Europe at the negotiating table

During his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table for Ukraine.

He said this during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.

«A few days ago, Donald Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. He never once mentioned that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot. The old days of America supporting Europe are over, because it has always been that way,» Zelenskyy said.

He also stated that Ukraine will not accept any peace agreements made behind its back.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Russia is trying to manipulate international politics, seeking to avoid European participation in the negotiations and conduct them without its involvement.

«Ukraine will never accept agreements made behind our backs, without our involvement. And the same rule should apply to the whole of Europe. No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, no decisions about Europe without Europe. Europe must have a seat at the table when decisions about Europe are made. Anything else is zero. If we are not allowed to negotiate our own future, we all lose,» he said.

He also emphasised that Putin's actions are part of his strategy to try to create bilateral agreements between Russia and America, bypassing the interests of other countries.

«Look at what Putin is trying to do. This is his game. Putin wants one-on-one talks with America. Just like before the war, when they met in Switzerland and it looked like they were shaping the world. Next, Putin will try to get the US president to stand on Red Square on 9 May this year. But not as a respected leader, but as a participant in his spectacle. We do not need this. We need real success, real peace,» he said.

Peace talks

Earlier, Donald Trump said that the United States was engaged in constructive negotiations on a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In particular, he expressed hope that agreements would be reached as soon as possible.

He also claimed that Washington had already made some progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In addition, Donald Trump indicated that his administration had already held discussions with Moscow, but did not specify who participated in such a dialogue.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations between the United States and Russia to end the war without Kyiv's participation pose a threat to everyone.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the sake of peace, despite his hostile attitude. He also added that he did not see a ready-made peace plan from Trump, but conveyed his readiness to negotiate.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».