Zelensky Laments US Too Often Pressures Ukraine, Not Russia

Munich - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that US-mediated peace negotiations with Russia next week would yield results. He feels Kyiv is too often asked to make concessions and urged his allies to provide “clear security guarantees.”

As reported by Al Jazeera on Sunday (2/15/2026), Zelensky made the remarks at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday (2/14).

US President Donald Trump is currently attempting to broker a deal to end Europe’s largest war since 1945. Russia, which has been invading Ukraine since February 2022, has been involved in two recent rounds of Washington-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The meetings were described by the parties as constructive but did not achieve any breakthrough.

The three parties are scheduled to meet again in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.

In his speech, Zelensky said he hopes the trilateral talks in Geneva will be serious, substantive, and productive.

“But honestly, sometimes it feels like both sides are talking about completely different things. America often returns to the topic of concessions, and too often those concessions are only discussed in the context of Ukraine, not Russia,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader also argued there would be a greater chance of ending the war if European countries had a seat at the negotiating table. However, this has been opposed by Moscow.

“Europe is practically absent from the negotiating table. I think that is a big mistake. And Ukraine keeps coming back to one simple point. Peace can only be built on clear security guarantees. Where there is no clear security system, war always returns,” Zelensky said.

Among the most contentious issues in the negotiations is Russia’s demand for a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the remaining parts of eastern Donetsk that Ukraine still controls. Ukraine has rejected a unilateral withdrawal while also demanding Western security guarantees to prevent Russia from relaunching its invasion if a ceasefire is reached.

Zelensky, in his remarks to reporters, said the US has proposed security guarantees lasting 15 years after the war. However, Ukraine wants an agreement of 20 years or more.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin has opposed the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine. Zelensky said Russia must accept a ceasefire monitoring mission and an exchange of prisoners of war. He estimated that Russia currently holds approximately 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv holds more than 4,000 Russian personnel.

He also acknowledged feeling “a little” pressure from Trump, who on Friday urged him not to miss the “opportunity” for peace and told him to act quickly.

Zelensky also called for greater action from Ukraine’s allies to pressure Russia into peace, whether through tougher sanctions or more weapons supplies. He said Trump has the power to force Putin to declare a ceasefire.

Ukrainian officials said a ceasefire is needed to hold a referendum on any peace deal, which would be held alongside national elections.

Zelensky also said he was surprised by Russia’s decision to change its delegation for the Geneva talks. He considered it a sign that Russia wants to delay an agreement.

The Kremlin said the Russian delegation will be led by Putin’s advisor, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian delegation has changed compared to the Abu Dhabi negotiations, where military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov led.

Ukrainian officials have criticized Medinsky’s handling of previous talks. Ukraine accused him of giving history lessons to the Ukrainian team instead of engaging in constructive negotiations.

In his keynote speech at the Munich event, Zelensky also condemned Putin as a “slave to war.” He compared the current talks to the 1938 Munich Agreement, when European powers allowed Hitler to seize part of Czechoslovakia, only for World War II to break out the following year.

“It would be an illusion to believe that this war can now be definitively ended by dividing Ukraine, just as it was an illusion to believe that sacrificing Czechoslovakia would save Europe from a major war,” he said.