Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that discussions about a new European security framework could play into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders, as Washington explores ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, in comments embargoed until Saturday, Zelenskyy said Moscow was seeking to broaden negotiations beyond ending the four-and-a-half-year war and reopen questions about Europe’s security order.
“In my view, this can be dangerous,” he said. “This should not be the main agenda.”
Zelenskyy argued that Putin’s ambition to change borders in Europe was well established and warned that revising security arrangements could trigger further conflict or escalation.
Washington raises Donbas withdrawal in NATO membership discussion
Zelenskyy said the United States had asked Kiev for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbas region still under Ukrainian control in exchange for NATO membership.
He reiterated that Ukraine would not surrender its territory or recognise Russian sovereignty over occupied areas.
Kyiv is discussing a broader security package with its partners that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military, financial support and a recovery plan.
Zelenskyy said he would put any confirmed proposal to Ukrainian society for consideration. He also rejected neutrality, saying it would require changing the country’s constitution.
“If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Zelenskyy says Europe must shape its own security
The Ukrainian president warned that Moscow could use wider security talks to demand changes to NATO’s military presence, including the withdrawal of US troops from parts of Europe.
He said any decisions on the continent’s future security arrangements must be made by European NATO members after the war ends.
“The sequence should be as follows: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
European leaders have also insisted that the continent’s security must be determined by Europeans rather than dictated by Moscow.
Energy truce and prisoner exchange remain priorities
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s priorities in negotiations in Abu Dhabi included an energy ceasefire, reopening the Black Sea, prisoner exchanges and preparations for a meeting between national leaders.
He said Russian negotiators had told their Ukrainian counterparts they lacked the authority to decide on an energy truce and that Moscow appeared unwilling to accept one.
However, Zelenskyy said discussions in Moscow involving US negotiators had produced an agreement on a prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 people on each side. He estimated the total number could reach between 1,200 and 1,300, with the exact figure still being determined.
He also welcomed US support for including European countries directly in future negotiations, saying Britain, France, Germany and Italy had been represented at the Abu Dhabi meetings.
Ukraine questions Starshield restrictions
Zelenskyy also raised concerns over restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite system in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, saying they were hampering efforts to intercept Russian drones.
He claimed the system’s speed had been limited to 161 kilometres per hour in occupied areas for five days, preventing Ukrainian forces from intercepting jet-powered Shahed drones until they reached areas where the restrictions did not apply.
Zelenskyy questioned whether the limitations were technical, saying Ukrainian officials believed they had been imposed by SpaceX.
He said the issue needed clarification, particularly after previous assurances from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more directly under the control of the US government.
