Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly reaffirmed his refusal to accept an immediate ceasefire in the war with Russia.
Following a weekend of mingling with European elites in London, Zelensky made it clear to the Financial Times that he’d rather see Ukraine burn than negotiate a practical peace.
Zelensky’s latest outburst follows a heated confrontation with President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday, where the Ukrainian leader clashed with America’s commander-in-chief over Kyiv’s refusal to consider a ceasefire.
Trump, along with his cabinet, has correctly argued that Ukraine should focus on ending the bloodshed rather than holding on to unrealistic hopes of total victory over a military superpower. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, far more than a lot of people say they should,” Trump told Zelensky.
Per the Financial Times:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for Ukraine to agree an immediate ceasefire in its war with Russia, saying it would be “failure for everyone” if a cessation of hostilities were not accompanied by detailed security guarantees.
The defiant Ukrainian president said he saw no need to make amends for an explosive row with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday or come up with a plan to salvage his relationship with the US president, although he restated his gratitude to the American people.
“This relationship will continue because this is more than a relationship in one moment,” Zelenskyy, who was speaking after meeting more than a dozen European leaders at a summit in London on Sunday, said in reference to the bust-up that shocked Kyiv’s allies.
Trump and his allies have said Kyiv should be willing to agree a ceasefire, a point echoed by Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, on Sunday.
Zelenskyy said Russia’s failure to abide by a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine after invading in 2014 convinced him that it would be a mistake to agree to stop fighting without an enforcement mechanism backed up by military force.
“If you don’t have an end to the war and you don’t have security guarantees, no one is able to control a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said from London’s Stansted airport as he prepared to fly back to Ukraine.
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
