President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that he would be holding a conversation with US President Donald Trump, following Trump’s more than two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Finnish leader Alexander Stubb in Helsinki, Zelensky said:
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“We are fighting for our sovereignty, for our independence. And we will definitely win this war. As for what to do next – without us, it is impossible to end this war with a just peace,” he said.
Zelensky also confirmed that he would be in contact with Trump later that day.
“Today, I will speak with President Trump. We will discuss the details of the next steps with him... and I expect to hear from him about his conversation with Putin.”
Zelensky added that he had learned some details about the March 18 conversation but stated, “I would like to discuss the specifics after a direct dialogue with Trump.”
“We are prepared to send our technical team to work on the next steps. When and in what format this meeting will take place – I will be able to clarify later,” he added.
The president also commented on the meeting between the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah, calling it “very productive.” He emphasized, “I think everything went well – except for Russia, which is always unhappy when something goes well.”
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Zelensky said that Putin’s conditions for a 30-day ceasefire only indicate the continuation of full-scale war. He added that Russia seeks to stop Ukraine’s foreign support, as this would weaken the country’s position.
“When we talk about stopping aid – take, for example, intelligence sharing. That’s critical. If we lose precision in targeting or ballistics, why would Putin want that if he wasn’t planning to kill us?” the president said.
Zelensky said that Putin’s demands only confirm Russia’s intent to prolong the war, making concessions on aid to Ukraine unnecessary.
“On the contrary, we need to increase support for Ukraine because it signals that we are ready for any surprises from Russia,” he added.
Zelensky told the press conference that the priority in upcoming peace talks should be securing an unconditional ceasefire.
“Any negotiations are a fragile means of ending the war, especially when dealing with Russians, which has so far shown no willingness to stop. The first step is an unconditional ceasefire – even if it starts with silence in the sky or at sea, it will eventually lead to silence along the entire front,” he said.
According to him, such steps are essential if the goal is to end the war with a just peace and move forward to other critical issues.
“Among them, I am sure, will be territorial matters. For us, the red line is the recognition of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian. We will not accept that,” Zelensky said.
“These territories are temporarily occupied – that’s all they are. They will never become Russian,” he added.
Regarding the territorial question, he acknowledged it would be one of the most complex and sensitive issues in the upcoming negotiations.
Zelensky also rejected any discussions with Russia about the structure of Ukraine’s military, saying: “That is part of the security guarantees for Ukrainians.”
“I also do not intend to discuss economic security guarantees with them – the EU is Ukraine’s main economic security guarantor. These are non-negotiable,” he said.
Zelensky further told reporters the urgent need to address the fate of thousands of Ukrainians held in Russian prisons, both military and civilian.
“They all must return home to their families. Those who have been tortured – we must get them back. Even the dead, unfortunately. This is non-negotiable,” he added.
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