Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a “big agreement” voiced earlier this week by US President Donald Trump to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war could be dangerous.
“Between us, for me it’s not simple, and it can be dangerous,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with CNN, an excerpt of which was published on Friday, in response to a question about what he knows about the framework for an agreement voiced by his US counterpart.
On Thursday, Trump confirmed to reporters in the Oval Office that he had met Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who had taken part in a White House event hosted by US first lady Melania Trump earlier that day.
Asked what they had 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.”
In his interview on Friday, Zelenskyy said there are many propositions and talks, some of which he defined as “useful and very important, stating his support for a ceasefire in Ukraine followed by de-escalation.
“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.
Zelenskyy argued that when Russia does not want to speak about a settlement, it seeks to begin dialogue with discussions on a new security architecture in Europe, which he believes is “dangerous” for all in Europe, but more so for the EU rather than 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, referring to the 1945 conference bearing the same name, during which Allied powers discussed the post-World War II order in Europe.
The Ukrainian president also said that sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for any independent country, stressing that, at least, its neighbors must respect them for it to become a “free, democratic country.”
