Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday it would be “unacceptable” for Europe to offer the Kremlin concessions to end its invasion of Ukraine, after Moscow demanded the West open direct talks to end the war.
Kiev is increasing pressure on its allies for more support in its fight against Moscow after Donald Trump’s victory in this week’s US presidential election, raising doubts about future US aid.
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Trump has boasted that he could end the conflict within hours and has repeatedly criticized US aid to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory in its east and south as a condition for peace talks, while Kiev has repeatedly ruled out giving up land in exchange for peace.
Ukraine and many in the West fear that a deal rewarding Putin would embolden the Kremlin leader and lead to more aggression.
– Zelensky rejects “concessions” –
Speaking to European leaders at a summit in Hungary, Zelensky blasted those who pressured him to give in to some of Putin’s tough demands.
“There has been a lot of talk about the need to give in to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions,” Zelensky said in a speech.
“It is unacceptable for Ukraine and unacceptable for all of Europe,” he added.
Zelensky also dismissed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s call for a “ceasefire” on the battlefield as “dangerous” and “irresponsible”.
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Orban, the EU leader with the warmest relations with the Kremlin, said earlier that a ceasefire could “give space and time for the warring parties to have communication and to start negotiating peace”.
Zelensky also accused some European leaders, without specifying which ones, of “strongly” pushing Ukraine to compromise.
“We need enough weapons, not support in talks. Hugging Putin will not help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse,” Zelensky said.
However, he revealed that he had discussed “military aid” with French President Emmanuel Macron in Budapest.
– Russia calls for negotiations –
Russia previously demanded that Kiev’s allies open negotiations with Moscow if they want to stop attacks on Ukrainians.
The head of Russia’s Security Council Sergei Shoigu said the West faced a choice between opening direct talks with Moscow or continuing the “destruction” of Ukraine’s population.
“Now, when the situation in the combat theater is not in Kiev’s favor, the West faces a choice,” Shoigu said at a meeting with defense officials from other former Soviet states.
“To continue funding (Kiev) and the destruction of the Ukrainian population or recognize the current reality and start negotiating,” the former defense minister said.
They were among the first comments by a Russian official since Trump was confirmed as president-elect of the United States.
– Russian progress –
Zelensky urged caution with Trump’s claims of being able to end the conflict within hours.
“Today, I think President Trump really wants a quick solution. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” he told reporters in Budapest.
The Ukrainian leader said a quick deal could mean “losses” for Kiev.
In remarks at the Valdai forum in Sochi, meanwhile, Putin reiterated that Moscow was open to talks, but said the parties to them must recognize “today’s reality”.
Russian officials have repeatedly used such language to refer to Moscow’s military control of parts of Ukrainian territory seized during the invasion.
Putin said any initiative Trump put forward would warrant attention, as he hailed the president-elect as a “courageous” man.
He congratulated Trump on his election victory and said he was “ready” to hold talks with him.
Trump said he was also prepared for some kind of conversation.
“I think we’re talking,” he told NBC News in an interview.
– Zaporizhzhia beats –
Zelensky has previously said that without US help, Ukraine would lose the war.
His unmanned and outgunned army is already on the back foot in the eastern Donbas region, where Russian forces have been slowly advancing for months.
Moscow said on Thursday that its forces had taken control of Kreminna Balka, a village that had a population of fewer than 50 people before the war, in the industrial Donetsk region where Ukrainian defenses have been repeatedly pushed back.
Russian strikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, including on a hospital and residential building, killed at least four people on Thursday.
Another 40 people, including at least four children, were injured, Ukraine’s rescue service said.
Footage released by officials showed rescue workers pulling victims from the debris, as they held back locals from trying to reach the remains of a building, reduced to a pile of rubble.
Ukrainian media reported that authorities in the Donetsk region were preparing to announce mandatory evacuations from seven more villages in that region, which the Kremlin claimed in 2022 was part of Russia.
Two people were killed in shelling there on Thursday, the local governor reported.
