Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Monday that Ukraine needs firm security guarantees to achieve a “real, fair peace” and bring the war with Russia to an end.
His remarks came after high-level meetings with Ukrainian leadership, during which officials analyzed military aid packages, defense contracts, and strategies to safeguard Ukraine’s long-term security. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s primary objective is to hold positions on the battlefield while creating diplomatic conditions for sustainable peace.
“The baseline scenario is to hold positions and create conditions for proper diplomacy, for the soonest possible end to this war with a decent peace. We need peace—real, fair peace—not endless war,” he said. “And we need security guarantees.”
Zelenskyy said the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine enabled Russia to occupy Crimea and wage war in Donbas 11 years ago—and later facilitated Moscow’s full-scale invasion. He added that now, the continued absence of such guarantees is allowing the war to continue.
“Because there are still no defined security guarantees, it is Russia that is keeping this war going,” he said. “The whole world sees this, the whole world acknowledges this.”
Ukraine’s demand for security guarantees has become a central issue in diplomatic discussions with Western allies, particularly in talks with the United States. These discussions came into sharp focus following a contentious Feb. 28 meeting at the White House between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump. The meeting, initially intended to finalize an economic cooperation agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued military support, devolved into a heated exchange over the path to ending the war.
During the Oval Office meeting, Trump pushed for an immediate cease-fire and negotiations with Russia, while Zelenskyy challenged the feasibility of any agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he argued could not be trusted to honor a peace deal. Zelenskyy insisted on explicit security guarantees from the United States as part of any future peace deal with Moscow but Trump rejected the idea, saying that U.S. economic engagement in Ukraine’s mineral sector would serve as a sufficient deterrent against future Russian aggression. Ultimately, Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House without signing the proposed economic pact.
Trump voiced frustration with Zelenskyy’s remarks, particularly his assertion that peace remains elusive. In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Zelenskyy’s stance as counterproductive, suggesting that Ukraine was unwilling to pursue peace with Russia as long as it had U.S. backing. Later, in remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump again suggested that Zelenskyy simply doesn’t want to make a peace deal, adding that he believes Zelenskyy’s days as president of Ukraine are numbered because of the leader’s stance.
“He said he thinks the war’s going to go on for a long time,” Trump said of Zelenskyy. “And he better not be right about that.”
