Zelenskyy calls part of Trump’s peace approach ‘not fair’ – and warns of what Ukrainians ‘will never forgive’
While officials from the US, Ukraine and Russia were locked in talks in Geneva yesterday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was criticisng part of Donald Trump’s approach to peace.
Ukraine’s president said Trump was exerting undue pressure on him to try to secure an end to the war.
In an interview with Axios, Zelenskyy said it was “not fair” that Trump kept publicly calling on Ukraine, not Russia, to make concessions.
“I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,” he said of Trump.
In recent days, Trump has suggested it was up to Ukraine and Zelenskyy to take steps to ensure the talks were successful.
“Ukraine better come to the table fast, that’s all I’m telling you,” the US president told reporters on Air Force One on Monday.
But Zelenskyy reiterated his gratitude towards Trump for his peacemaking efforts, adding that discussions with negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner didn’t involve the same kind of pressure.
Ukrainians ‘can’t understand’ giving up land
On territory, Zelenskyy said any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory that Russia had not captured in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians if it was put to a referendum.
Giving in to Russia’s demand to take the entire region – which it now holds around 88% of – would be unacceptable to Ukrainian voters, Zelenskyy insisted.
“Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never,” he said.
“They
will not forgive… me, they will not forgive (the United
States).”
Zelenskyy added that Ukrainians “can’t understand why” they would be asked to give up additional land.
He again called for positions to be frozen along the current front lines.
“I think that if we will put in the document… that we
stay where we stay on the contact line, I think that people will
support this (in a) referendum,” he said.