Zelenskyy rejects western demands to make ‘concessions’ to Russia

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said it would be “unacceptable” and “suicidal” for Europe to ask Ukraine to make concessions to Russia in exchange for a potential peace deal.

The Ukrainian president joined some 40 European leaders on Thursday in Budapest for a summit on the latest security challenges facing the continent. The meeting was hosted by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has broken with EU and Nato policy to push for immediate peace, something Kyiv says would amount to capitulation on Moscow’s terms.

“Some of you present here were strongly advocating for Ukraine to make ‘concessions’,” Zelenskyy told the gathering. “It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe.”

Orbán hosted the European Political Community summit a day after his political role model, Donald Trump, won the US election. The Hungarian premier said that result had meant more leaders now agreed with his call for ceasefire talks.

Trump has vowed to bring an end to the war as soon as he takes office in January, and threatened to cut off US military and financial aid to Kyiv.

“We all want to end this war, it is tragic . . . but if it will be very fast it will be a loss for Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy when asked about Trump’s pledge for rapid peace talks.

Orbán said Trump’s win meant the “pro-peace camp has grown enormously”.

“We are not talking about victory and defeat, but about ceasefire, human lives, and the stopping of destruction,” the Hungarian leader told reporters after the summit. “There are more people now with this perspective in the western world than there were before the US election.”

Zelenskyy, when asked if this was true, responded: “No.”

“I believe that it is very dangerous for Ukrainians to have a ceasefire now and then discuss peace later,” The Ukrainian leader told reporters.

“A ceasefire is a preparation for [Russia] to ruin and destroy our sovereignty,” he added. “A simple ceasefire mentioned by some leaders here [in Budapest] . . . this equals an excellent model for Russia.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said it was “useless to put pressure on us”.

“But we are always ready to negotiate with full consideration of mutual legitimate interests,” he added. “We have been calling for this and we are calling on all participants.”

Zelenskyy instead asked for European leaders to send “sufficient weapons” to Ukraine so that his troops could put “pressure” on Russia.

Orbán, who has blocked EU sanctions on Russia and held up financial support from Brussels to Kyiv, said Ukraine could not rely on future aid from the bloc.

“The people of Europe are less and less ready to finance a war they don’t understand the purpose of. Nobody can guarantee it will be effective, that sanctions will be effective,” Orban said. “The US elections closed a chapter and opened a new one.”

Additional reporting by Polina Ivanova in Berlin