Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Not Accept Any Peace Deal Made Without Kyiv’s Involvement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a press conference during the European Political Community Summit in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 7, 2024. Bernadett Szabo/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Feb. 17 that Ukraine will not recognize any peace agreements negotiated without the participation of Kyiv, as top U.S. and Russian officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on mending strained ties between Moscow and Washington and advance U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to put an end to the Russia–Ukraine war.

“Ukraine regards any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no result, and we cannot recognize ... any agreements about us without us, and will not recognize such agreements,” Zelenskyy said on Feb. 17 during a trip to the United Arab Emirates.

The Ukrainian president also urged the inclusion of a special European representative in the negotiations, emphasizing that the process should involve countries willing to take responsibility for security guarantees, provide assistance, invest in Ukraine’s reconstruction, and help prevent further Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy’s remarks came ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 18, for direct talks on ending the war.

Ukraine will not be present at the U.S.–Russia talks in Saudi Arabia. However, Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16 that Zelenskyy will, at some point, be involved.

Trump also recalled his phone call last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he believes both Putin and Zelenskyy want to stop the fighting and that “we’re working very hard” to end the war.

Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, echoed Trump’s remarks on Monday. Kellogg insisted no one would impose a peace deal on Ukraine without the consent of its leadership.

Kellogg, who will not be taking part in the talks in Saudi Arabia but plans to meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv later this week, told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 17 that nobody would impose a deal “on an elected leader of a sovereign nation.” When asked about whether there was any possibility that the United States would be involved in providing security guarantees to Ukraine, Kellogg said only that Trump’s policy is to “take no options off the table.”

This aligns with remarks made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told a press conference in Warsaw that while he does not believe U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine will be part of the deal, “the president has latitude and what happens in those negotiations is his prerogative because he is the American people’s representative on the world stage.”

“He reserves the right to have any option as he discusses troops and partnerships and investment opportunities and front-line limits,” Hegseth said.

Previously, Zelenskyy said that U.S. troops must be part of any peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Ahead of his trip to Saudi for the talks, Rubio said in an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Feb. 16 that the focus of the meetings will be to lay the groundwork for negotiations that will lead to lasting peace.

“President Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin last week and Vladimir Putin expressed his interest in peace, and the president expressed his desire to see an end to this conflict in a way that was enduring and that protected Ukrainian sovereignty and that was an enduring peace—not that we’re going to have another invasion in three or four years,” Rubio said.

Much work remains to be done before a settlement can be reached, and “one phone call does not make peace,” Rubio said. He praised Trump’s peace initiative and expressed hope the talks will end in success, adding that the coming days and weeks will determine whether the Kremlin is “serious or not” about ending hostilities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed plans for the meeting, telling reporters in Moscow on Feb. 17 that the discussions in Saudi Arabia will focus on restoring strained U.S.–Russia ties, organizing a meeting between Trump and Putin, and a possible settlement to the Ukraine war.

Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News on Sunday that four key principles will guide the peace talks.

“Number one, it has to be a permanent end to the war, not a temporary end to the war. Number two, this can’t be ended on the battlefield. This has turned into a World War I-style meat grinder of human beings,” Waltz said. “Number three, I talked about how the structure of our aid has to change. Then, number four, we’re talking about economic integration going forward as the best arbiter of peace.”

Waltz added that the Trump administration is talking to Ukraine about an economic partnership with the United States that would compensate U.S. taxpayers for the billions of dollars in aid provided to Kyiv and guarantee Ukraine’s security.

“I can’t think of any better security guarantee than being co-invested with President Trump,” Waltz said.