Zelenskyy Warns Trump’s Peace Deal Could Be Dangerous
(MENAFN) Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised an alarm over a sweeping settlement floated by Donald Trump to end the Russia-Ukraine war, warning that the proposal carries serious risks for Kyiv.
In an interview with a U.S. news network, an excerpt of which was released Friday, the Ukrainian president was asked what he knew about the framework the U.S. leader described. “Between us, for me it’s not simple, and it can be dangerous,” Zelenskyy said.
The comments follow remarks by Trump on Thursday in the Oval Office, where he confirmed he had met Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Dmitriev had attended a White House event hosted earlier that day by first lady Melania Trump.
Pressed by reporters on what the two discussed, Trump said: “I can’t tell you what I discussed. But I’m just telling you, it’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement. … It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It’s going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone’s going to be thrilled.”
Zelenskyy said numerous proposals and talks are underway. He described some as “useful and very important, and voiced support for a ceasefire in Ukraine followed by de-escalation.
But he said Moscow has yet to show it is serious. “We didn’t see yet any kind of demonstration and signals from Russian side that they are ready to do something. … That’s why it’s dangerous,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader argued that when Russia does not want to discuss a settlement, it tries to open dialogue by raising a new security architecture for Europe. He believes that approach is “dangerous” for all of Europe, and more so for the EU than for Ukraine.
“We don’t want to have Yalta, Yalta 2. We are not ready for such (a) format. We don’t want to be divided by Russia,” he added. He was referring to the 1945 Yalta conference, where Allied powers discussed the post-World War II order in Europe.
Zelenskyy also stressed that sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for any independent nation. At a minimum, he said, its neighbors must respect them for it to become a “free, democratic country.”
In an interview with a U.S. news network, an excerpt of which was released Friday, the Ukrainian president was asked what he knew about the framework the U.S. leader described. “Between us, for me it’s not simple, and it can be dangerous,” Zelenskyy said.
The comments follow remarks by Trump on Thursday in the Oval Office, where he confirmed he had met Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Dmitriev had attended a White House event hosted earlier that day by first lady Melania Trump.
Pressed by reporters on what the two discussed, Trump said: “I can’t tell you what I discussed. But I’m just telling you, it’s going to be an agreement, it’s going to be a big agreement. … It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe. It’s going to be a big, beautiful agreement, and everyone’s going to be thrilled.”
Zelenskyy said numerous proposals and talks are underway. He described some as “useful and very important, and voiced support for a ceasefire in Ukraine followed by de-escalation.
But he said Moscow has yet to show it is serious. “We didn’t see yet any kind of demonstration and signals from Russian side that they are ready to do something. … That’s why it’s dangerous,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader argued that when Russia does not want to discuss a settlement, it tries to open dialogue by raising a new security architecture for Europe. He believes that approach is “dangerous” for all of Europe, and more so for the EU than for Ukraine.
“We don’t want to have Yalta, Yalta 2. We are not ready for such (a) format. We don’t want to be divided by Russia,” he added. He was referring to the 1945 Yalta conference, where Allied powers discussed the post-World War II order in Europe.
Zelenskyy also stressed that sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for any independent nation. At a minimum, he said, its neighbors must respect them for it to become a “free, democratic country.”
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