KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that excluding his country from talks between the U.S. and Russia about would be 鈥渧ery dangerous" and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Zelenskyy said Russia does not want to engage in ceasefire talks or to discuss any kind of concessions, which the Kremlin interprets as losing at a time when its troops have .
He said U.S. President Donald Trump could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the table with targeting Russia鈥檚 energy and banking system, as well as continued .
鈥淚 think these are the closest and most important steps,鈥� he said in the interview in the Ukrainian capital that lasted for more than an hour.
Zelenskyy's remarks followed comments Friday by Trump, who said American and Russian officials were about ending the war. said his administration has had 鈥渧ery serious鈥� discussions with Russia, but he did not elaborate.
鈥淭hey may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us 鈥� it is dangerous for everyone,鈥� Zelenskyy said.
He said his team has been in contact with the Trump administration, but those discussions are at a 鈥済eneral level,鈥� and he believes in-person meetings will take place soon to develop more detailed agreements.
鈥淲e need to work more on this,鈥� he said, adding that Trump understandably appeared to be focused on domestic issues in the first weeks after his inauguration.
The nearly three-year war in Ukraine is at a crossroads. Trump promised within six months of taking office, but the two sides are far apart, and it is unclear how a ceasefire deal would take shape. Meanwhile, Russia continues to make slow but , and Ukrainian forces are enduring severe manpower shortages.
Most Ukrainians want a pause in fighting to rebuild their lives. The country faces near-daily Russian attacks on homes, and strikes on power systems have plunged entire cities into darkness.
Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced, unable to return to their homes after vast tracts of the country鈥檚 east have been reduced to rubble. Nearly a fifth of Ukraine is now occupied by Russia. In those areas, Moscow-appointed authorities are swiftly erasing any hint of Ukrainian identity.
With Trump back in the White House, Ukraine鈥檚 relationship with the U.S., its largest and most important ally, is also at a tipping point.
In an initial phone call with Trump during the presidential campaign, Zelenskyy said, the two agreed that if Trump won, they would meet to discuss the steps needed to end the war. But a planned visit by , was postponed 鈥渇or legal reasons鈥� Zelenskyy said. That was followed by that effectively caused Ukrainian organizations to halt projects.
鈥淚 believe that, first and foremost, we (must) hold a meeting with him, and that is important. And that is, by the way, something that everyone in Europe wants," Zelenskyy said, referring to "a common vision of a quick end to the war.鈥�
After the conversation with Trump, "we should move on to some kind of format of conversation with Russians. And I would like to see the United States of America, Ukraine and the Russians at the negotiating table. ... And, to be honest, a European Union voice should also be there. I think it would be fair, effective. But how will it turn out? I don鈥檛 know.鈥�
Zelenskyy cautioned against allowing Putin to take 鈥渃ontrol" over the war, an apparent reference to Russia's repeated threats of escalation during President Joe Biden's administration.
Without security guarantees from Ukraine鈥檚 allies, Zelenskyy said, any deal struck with Russia would only serve as a precursor to future aggression. , a longstanding wish for Kyiv that Moscow has categorically rejected, is still Zelenskyy鈥檚 top choice.
NATO membership is the 鈥渃heapest鈥� option for Ukraine's allies, and it would also strengthen Trump geopolitically, Zelenskyy argued.
鈥淚 really believe that these are the cheapest security guarantees that Ukraine can get, the cheapest for everyone,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump,鈥� he said, evidently appealing to the president's penchant for winners and business deals.
In addition, Zelenskyy said, Ukraine鈥檚 800,000-strong army would be a bonus to the alliance, especially if Trump seeks to bring home U.S. troops who are stationed overseas.
Other security guarantee proposals should be backed up by sufficient weapons from the U.S. and Europe, and support for Kyiv to develop its own defense industry, he said.
Zelenskyy also said a French proposal to act as a deterrent against Russian aggression is taking shape, but he expressed skepticism, saying many questions remained about the command-and-control structure and the number of troops and their positions. The issue was raised by French President Emmanuel Macron and with Trump, he said.
鈥淚 said in the presence of the two leaders that we are interested in this as a part of the security guarantee, but not as the only guarantee of safety,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not enough.鈥�
He added: 鈥淚magine, there is a contingent. The question is who is in charge? Who is the main one? What will they do if there are Russian strikes? Missiles, disembarkation, attack from the sea, crossing of the land borderline, offensive. What will they do? What are their mandates?鈥�
Asked if he put those questions directly to Macron, he smiled and said: 鈥淲e are still in the process of this dialogue.鈥�
Following a statement by that the war has set Ukraine back by 100 years, Zelenskyy urged Rubio to visit Ukraine.
Rubio "needs to come to Ukraine, first of all, to see what Russia has done,鈥� the Ukrainian president said. 鈥淏ut also to see what the Ukrainian people did, what they were able to do for the security of Ukraine and the world, as I said, and just talk to these people.鈥�
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Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed to this report.
Susie Blann, Samya Kullab And Illia Novikov, The Associated Press
