Russia and Ukraine are at the “beginning of the end“ of the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times.
He believes any ceasefire without firm security guarantees would carry “big risks“ and calls on the EU to stop “behaving evasively“ and set a date for Ukraine's accession. He says this should happen as early as 2027.
“I need a date. I want it,“ Zelensky said. “Let's not let future leaders or the next generation face a situation where Russia blocks Ukraine's EU membership for 50 years,“ he added.
The Kremlin sees the possible accession of Ukraine to the EU as its sovereign right, as it is not a military alliance.
Zelensky believes that Russia is “playing games“ and “not serious“ about ending the conflict. “They are playing with Trump and they are playing with the whole world“, the president believes. The Ukrainian leader rejected claims that Kiev could use the ceasefire to regroup its forces before an offensive.
“Ukraine needs a ceasefire - yesterday, today and tomorrow“, he stressed. “We do not need a pause. We need an end to the war.“
Zelensky called the US idea that the conflict would end if Kiev cedes Donbass “shortsighted“. He also noted that the pressure that US President Donald Trump is putting on Kiev to make concessions for peace is much greater than the pressure on Moscow, but he expressed hope that Trump will change his position.
According to Trump, Ukrainians have "already lost some territory" and could lose even more if the peace deal fails.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian troops should withdraw from the territories they have occupied, "and then the fighting will stop." "If they don't withdraw, then we will achieve this through military action," he noted. If Kiev refuses dialogue, Moscow "will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," Putin stressed.
The Kremlin called the negotiations to settle the dispute "very complicated." "The process is working; there is a lot to analyze and discuss with the head of state," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting the last negotiations.