Zelensky declared he would only negotiate with Putin.
The Ukrainian leader stated that he is ready to negotiate with President Vladimir Putin when Kyiv and its Western allies have a "common plan."
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has stated that President Vladimir Putin is the only Russian official he is willing to negotiate with, while ruling out any form of negotiation involving other representatives from Moscow.
Zelensky issued a decree in 2022 prohibiting any interaction with the Russian head of state. However, earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader appeared to have changed his mind, telling British journalist Piers Morgan that he would meet with Putin if it was “the only way to bring peace to the Ukrainian people.”
Speaking to delegates at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, Zelensky emphasized that he "will not meet with any Russians. I will only meet with one Russian – and that is Putin." He also stressed that only when Ukraine, the US, and the EU present a "common plan" will he "sit down with Putin and end the war."
President Zelensky affirmed that he would not accept "any other compromise" and expressed hope that US President Donald Trump would stand with Kyiv and "actually help us," instead of just playing the role of a mediator.
Speaking about Ukraine's long-standing ambition to join NATO, Zelensky acknowledged, "I have never heard in any conversation at the presidential level that we would be joining NATO. Never." The Ukrainian leader suggested that Trump's skeptical stance was no different from that of his predecessors.
In a post on the Truth Social platform on February 12, shortly after his phone call with President Putin, Trump wrote that Zelensky “wants to make peace,” just like the Russian leader.
Speaking late last month, Putin argued that Zelensky no longer had the legitimacy to overturn the previous decree prohibiting negotiations with the Russian president.
Russia argues that the Ukrainian leader's presidential term ended in May 2024, but Zelensky refused to hold elections, citing martial law. The Kremlin asserts that the politician is no longer a legitimate head of state.
“Negotiations are possible with anyone. However, since his legitimacy has been lost, Zelensky has no right to sign anything,” Putin said in January, emphasizing that any peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv must have strong legal basis.
Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that "the Russian side remains ready to negotiate" with Ukraine, despite the uncertain legal status of Zelensky.
