Zelensky Rejects Bilateral Agreement Between Russia and the U.S. to End the Ukraine War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Thursday that Kyiv will not accept any agreement regarding the fate of the country and the end of the three-year war between Moscow and Ukraine that is reached bilaterally between Russia and the United States without Kyiv's participation. Zelensky, during a visit to a nuclear power plant on his way to the Munich Security Conference, told reporters: "As an independent country, we simply cannot accept any agreement without our participation." He is scheduled to meet and discuss with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the Munich Security Conference on Friday. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and they agreed that negotiations to end the war should begin quickly. Trump suggested that a meeting might soon be held in Saudi Arabia. Trump then spoke with Zelensky and informed him about his conversation with Putin. On Thursday, Zelensky said: "Today, it is important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan; a plan in which he wants to conduct negotiations bilaterally with the United States." However, on Wednesday, after his conversation with Trump, Zelensky said: "We discussed many diplomatic, military, and economic issues, and President Trump informed me about his talks with Putin. We believe that U.S. power is sufficient to pressure Russia and Putin, alongside us and all our partners, to achieve peace." The Ukrainian president said on Thursday that he also spoke with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and emphasized that "no negotiations with Putin should begin without a unified position from Ukraine, Europe, and the United States." Zelensky stated: "I emphasized that Ukraine must negotiate from a position of strength, with strong and reliable security guarantees, and that NATO membership will be the least costly option for our partners." Trump wrote in capital letters on his social media account, Truth Social: "Great talks with Russia and Ukraine yesterday. A good chance to end that terrible and very bloody war!!!" The phone call between the U.S. and Russian leaders came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told other NATO defense ministers that Ukraine's goal of restoring its 2014 borders is "unrealistic" and that the United States does not envision Ukraine's NATO membership, the most important Western military alliance, as part of an agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Russian forces currently control about 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which was unilaterally annexed in 2014. Zelensky said it is important for the U.S. and Ukraine to prepare a plan to end the war before negotiating with Russia. Ukraine has announced that it is working on arranging a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Zelensky mentioned that he did not discuss the possibility of Ukraine's NATO membership during his phone conversation with Trump, although he knows the U.S. opposes this idea. The 32-member NATO alliance has stated that it is committed to Ukraine's eventual membership, but not while the war between Russia and Ukraine is ongoing. Russian officials and state-sponsored media appeared pleased with the outcome of the call between Trump and Putin, which lasted over an hour. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibih. According to the U.S. State Department, they discussed the necessity of relying on diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. Rubio emphasized the U.S. commitment to Ukraine's independence and stability in the country and the region.