Zelensky, about pressure from Trump: Concessions are too often asked of Ukraine, but not of Russia / The Kiev leader's messages about Putin, the defense of Europe and US aid, at the Munich Security Conference – VIDEO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday expressed hope that next week's US-brokered peace talks in Geneva will be serious and substantive, but also expressed frustration that Ukraine is being asked “too often” to make concessions in the negotiations, while there is no sign of compromise from Russia.
“We really hope that next week's trilateral meetings will be serious, substantial and useful for all of us, but, frankly, sometimes it seems that the parties are discussing completely different things,” said Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, according to News.ro.
The Ukrainian leader admitted with a smile that he feels “a little” pressure from US President Donald Trump, who said on Friday that Zelenskiy should not miss the “opportunity” to make peace soon.
Zelensky says he understands these signals from Trump, but says Ukraine continues to compromise on several issues. He is willing to discuss many issues, but Ukraine cannot simply “run” from its own territory with hundreds of thousands of people just to make a “compromise”.
“We are not hearing compromises from Russia. We want to hear something from them,” he added.
“The Americans often return to the subject of concessions and, too often, these concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia,” complained Zelenskiy, according to Reuters.
The Russians “often talk about an 'Anchorage spirit,' and we can only guess what they really mean,” Zelenskiy said, referring to the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
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“Big mistake”
The Ukrainian president also said that Europe is “practically not” present at the negotiation table and should be. “It's a big mistake,” he believes.
Zelenski warned that Vladimir Putin's actions reminded him of the Munich Agreement of 1938, “when Europe began to be divided.”
“It would be an illusion to believe that this war can be reliably ended by dividing Ukraine, just as it was an illusion to believe that the sacrifice of Czechoslovakia will save Europe from a great war,” he stressed.
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However, the leader in Kiev hopes the United States will remain involved in the negotiations and hopes there will be an opportunity for Europe – which he says is currently marginalized – to play a bigger role. Zelenski had previously expressed concern that the US midterm elections starting this summer could focus the Trump administration on domestic political issues.
Ukraine and Russia recently participated in two rounds of negotiations mediated by Washington in Abu Dhabi, which were described by the parties as constructive, but did not lead to major progress.
Russia said its Geneva delegation would be led by Putin adviser Vladimir Medinski, a change from Abu Dhabi, where the Russian team was led by military intelligence chief Igor Kostiukov. Ukrainian sources have previously criticized Medinski's handling of the negotiations, accusing him of giving history lessons to the Ukrainian team instead of engaging in substantive negotiations.
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“Russia did not offer any compromise”
The Ukrainian president said on Saturday that although Ukraine wants peace, “we are not hearing any compromise from Russia. We want to hear something from them,” he stressed.
Asked at a round table about the possibility of holding new presidential elections in Ukraine, proposed by the US, Zelensky said that if Washington insists, Ukraine will need two months of ceasefire to prepare. Then “we will hold elections”, promised the Ukrainian leader. In the applause sustained in the hall, Zelenski added ironically: “We will also grant the Russians a truce if they organize elections.”
As for the coming months, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine will support the peace process and hopes that the US will support security guarantees for his country. He looks forward to greater European involvement in this process, and progress towards EU membership is also a priority.
At the same roundtable, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that “in order to remain strong in this fight, we must realize that the Russians are not winning” and that their gains are “so small that they are almost irrelevant.”
The Ukrainian president declared himself confident that the war against Russia can be ended with dignity.
“Putin cannot live without war”
But Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin cannot live without war. Putin “cannot give up the idea of war. If he lives another 10 years, the war may return or expand,” said the Ukrainian president.
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“That's why we need real security guarantees before the end of the war,” explained Zelenski. “And we hope that President Trump and Congress will listen to us,” he added.
Zelenski later said in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Ukraine urgently needs Patriot air defense missiles and other similar systems “as soon as possible.”
In bitter comments about the Russian leader, he pointed out that Putin does not walk the streets and that “normal things do not interest him”. He “consulted more with Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine” – the architects of Russia's imperial ambitions – than anyone else, Zelenskiy said, speaking in Munich against a montage of images from Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Україна Зеленский Препаледный, “путьин, энгеге производительного донјешеской животный животься”
President Zelenskyy at MSC: “Putin lives a life completely detached from ordinary people.” pic.twitter.com/83vuYkXURg
— Yoon Yi (@YoonTV1578) February 14, 2026
He also said he had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about taking additional measures against Russia's phantom fleet of oil tankers, an important source of income for the Kremlin.
“Only Viktor Orban doesn't think”
Zelensky said that in both December and January, Ukrainian forces killed and seriously wounded between 30,000 and 35,000 Russian soldiers. He claims that Russia is currently paying with the lives of 156 soldiers for every kilometer of Ukraine it conquers. “Putin is not worried about this at the moment, but there is a level at which he will start to care,” believes Zelenski, quoted by The Guardian.
He indicated that Ukraine aims to reach 50,000 casualties per month to increase the price of continuing the war and emphasized that Ukrainians are essential to stop Russian aggression because they ensure the freedom and independence of Poland, the Baltic countries, Moldova and Romania.
In a furious attack on Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with whom he has clashed publicly in recent weeks, he said: “Only Viktor can think of how to expand his belly, not how to expand his army to prevent Russian tanks from returning to the streets of Budapest.”
Zelenskyy's few words aimed at Orbán:
“And even one 'Viktor' can think about how to grow his belly instead of how to grow his army to stop Russian tanks from returning to the streets of Budapest.”
Orbán already reacted to this. He didn't appreciate the humor 😁 pic.twitter.com/qxqN9IkJcs
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) February 14, 2026
“Our unity is the best defense against Russia's aggressive plans,” Zelenskiy stressed.
He thanked several countries for their help, naming the Nordic countries, Germany, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, the USA, Canada, Turkey and Japan.
On the other hand, he reminded that Russia also has “accomplices”, including North Korea and Chinese companies that supply components for Russian weapons and missiles. He also condemned Iran for supplying Russia with Shahed drones, saying the regime must be “stopped immediately”.
No Ukrainian plant is left intact
Zelenski said that in one night this week, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones. He said deliveries of air defense missiles to help Ukraine defend itself were frequently made just days before they needed to be used. Virtually no Ukrainian power plant is left intact, Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader also said that weapons evolve faster than political decisions. Russia's Shahed attack drones can now be guided in real time and are powered by jet engines. But he believes Ukraine will soon produce enough drones to render the Shahed drones useless.
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Criticism of the former US administration
Zelensky also said that Ukraine tried everything to prevent war, but received no serious help from the previous US administration to counter Russian aggression.
“The most practical advice that General (Mark) Milley could give Ukraine at that time was simply to dig trenches, and this is the answer that my commander-in-chief gave me. Imagine, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers on your borders, massive military equipment, and all you hear is: dig trenches. So if Russian troops go into Lithuania, God forbid, just as an example, or some other country on the flank Eastern NATO, what will the allies hear then? Will they hear that help is on the way? I hope so”, declared the leader from Kiev.
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Europe must have its own capacity to respond to any threat, in order to send a clear signal, Zelenski said, supporting the call for more investments in defense. He emphasized that Ukraine has “the strongest army in Europe” and “that's why Europe needs Ukraine”.
“I think it's just not smart to keep this army out of NATO,” he noted, “but at least let it be your decision, not Putin's,” he continued in a bitter allusion to the concessions the US has made to the Kremlin.
🔴 🇺🇦 Volodymyr #Zelensky:
💬 “That's why #Europe needs #Ukraine. The #UkrainianArmy is the strongest army in Europe. It's simply not smart to keep this army outside #NATO.”
📚Epicenters of Global Politics
👉https://t.co/baZjIw2uYi#MunichSecurityConference #MSC #Russia #DOOR pic.twitter.com/4hRqWYTSog— Roman Smithson (@RomanSmithson) February 14, 2026
