Zelenskyy on the US-Russia talks: «I am not going to give in to Russia's ultimatums»

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Archive photo: Office of the President

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the talks between the US and Russia in Riyadh, which took place without Ukraine's participation. He stressed that Kyiv would not agree to any Russian ultimatums.

The head of state said this during a meeting with the Ukrainian community in Ankara, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

«As president of Ukraine, I have not guaranteed anything to anyone, I have not confirmed anything to anyone. Moreover, I was not going to give in to Russia's ultimatums. And I am not going to », he stressed.

The President reminded that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Moscow had put forward demands to Ukraine, including the reduction of the Armed Forces, the recognition of the occupied territories as part of Russia and the establishment of a pro-Kremlin regime in Kyiv.

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«And I have the impression that there are some negotiations going on now, and they are going on with the same spirit, but they are going on between representatives of Russia and representatives of the United States of America. About Ukraine, again about Ukraine, and without Ukraine. I wonder if we didn't give in to all these ultimatums at the most difficult moment, why do we have the feeling that Ukraine will do it now», the president said.

He also stressed that there were no agreements with Russia — neither during the occupation of Kyiv region, nor during negotiations in Belarus or Turkey.

«We had no agreements with the Russians during the occupation of Kyiv region, no agreements during the meeting in Belarus, no agreements during the meeting in Turkey,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

As a reminder, Russian-American talks have ended in Riyadh. The media reported that the parties agreed on a three-stage peace plan for Ukraine.

Peace talks

Earlier, Donald Trump stated that the United States was conducting 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. Also, during his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table in negotiations on Ukraine.

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».

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not recognise the loss of its territories, but is ready for diplomatic solutions to return them if it becomes a NATO member.