First Lady: Zelenskyy will leave office when Ukraine is safe
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- Darina Melnychuk
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18:10, 26 February, 2025
First Lady Olena Zelenska. Photo: Office of the President of UkraineFirst Lady Olena Zelenska commented on the statement by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his readiness to resign as head of state in exchange for peace in the country.
She said this on the Italian programme Quarta Repubblica.
«He did not discuss this with me. As far as I understand, these were his words during a press conference he gave to journalists. I know that he does not intend to be president for life and has no such desire. The main task he has set himself is to make Ukraine safe. The security guarantees, whatever they may be, must be in place in Ukraine so that he can leave his post in peace. If NATO membership is a security guarantee, I think he can do it. Why not?», Olena Zelenska said.
As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to resign in exchange for security guarantees.
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. 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.