Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday it was “not pleasant” for President Trump to first call Russian President Vladimir Putin in his push to start negotiations to end the war. Trump called Zelensky later in the day Wednesday. Zelensky, while visiting a nuclear power plant, said discussions with the Kremlin about ending the war in Eastern Europe should only be done after “a plan to stop Putin has been worked out” and added that Trump’s decision to call the Russian president first on Wednesday was “not pleasant,” according to CNN.
He also stated that Kyiv would not welcome a peace agreement forged between Russia and the U.S. unless Kyiv is involved in those talks. “As an independent country, we simply cannot accept any agreements without us. And I articulate this very clearly to our partners. We will not accept any bilateral negotiations on Ukraine without us,” Zelensky said Thursday. The Trump administration’s initial forays into diplomacy around the war have marked a sharp break from the Biden administration’s “no about Ukraine without Ukraine” ethos. Democrats and European officials have accused Trump of making major concessions to Putin before negotiations begin, and Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether Russia and Ukraine were equal players in the talks.
On Wednesday, Trump spoke separately with Putin and Zelensky. The commander in chief highlighted in both calls that the nearly three-year conflict has to end soon. “No one wants peace more than Ukraine,” Zelensky said Wednesday, following his call with Trump. “Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.” Trump indicated that he will soon begin a series of meetings with Putin, with the first in Saudi Arabia. Also on Wednesday, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he doesn’t think Ukraine joining the NATO alliance is a “realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.” Trump told reporters Wednesday that it was not likely for Kyiv to return to its border before the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Zelensky said earlier this week that if Trump is able to get both sides to negotiate, he would consider offering a swap in territories, with Ukraine giving back the land it has taken in Russia’s Kursk region in exchange for unspecified, occupied Ukrainian territory. “We will swap one territory for another,” Zelensky said in an interview with The Guardian published Tuesday. “I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority.” The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
