By Sabiu Abdullahi
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has expressed concerns that the United States is attempting to “please” Russian President Vladimir Putin as peace negotiations aimed at ending the nearly three-year-long war commence in Saudi Arabia today.
The talks, which exclude Ukraine and the European Union, were organized under the directive of US President Donald Trump.
This decision has prompted European leaders to hold emergency discussions in Paris over concerns about the potential outcome.
Zelensky has warned that any agreement favoring Russia could lead to Europe’s military “weakness,” particularly if Moscow is allowed to dictate the terms.
A delegation comprising senior officials from both Russia and the US arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, but Ukraine’s leader has expressed discontent over what he perceives as conciliatory remarks from US officials toward Russia.
Earlier reports indicate that Zelensky made it clear on Monday that Ukraine would reject any peace deal that does not involve his country and the United Kingdom.
“The US is now saying things that are very favourable to Putin… because they want to please him. They want to meet quickly and have a quick win. But what they want — ‘just a ceasefire’ — is not a win,” Zelensky said, as translated by broadcaster ARD in an interview conducted in Munich.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to end the Russia-Ukraine war within his first 100 days in office. Last week, he announced that he had spoken directly with Putin regarding a swift resolution to the conflict.
Reports suggest that any potential agreement may heavily favor Russia, including provisions that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and hinder efforts to reclaim territories lost since 2014.
Despite this, Zelensky has firmly stated that Ukraine “will not sign just anything in order to be applauded,” emphasizing that “the fate of our state for generations to come” is at stake.
He also dismissed the idea of conceding Ukrainian land occupied by Russian forces, affirming: “We will reclaim it all.”
Meanwhile, European leaders convened an urgent meeting in Paris on Monday to discuss strengthening their military independence and increasing support for Ukraine.
While they opposed the US approach to peace negotiations, they also highlighted the importance of maintaining NATO unity.
Zelensky has cautioned that Europe’s security remains fragile if it cannot depend on US military support. However, he noted that Ukraine has grown more resilient over the past three years, stating that “Putin wouldn’t be able to occupy us the way he wanted to.”
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that “there will definitely not be a Ukrainian victory without US support.”
He also revealed that he and Trump had discussed the deployment of foreign troops to oversee any future ceasefire agreements.