The head of state discussed this in a podcast with Lex Friedman, which was released by the Office of the President.
Zelensky did not specify the list of weapons that Ukraine would like to receive as security guarantees, adding that the U.S. is aware of this package of armaments, and now it all depends on the political will of Washington.
He also suggested that among the security guarantees could be Ukraine's accession to NATO, with the extension of Article 5 of the Alliance regarding collective defense to the territories controlled by the Ukrainian government.
The president also noted that in the absence of security guarantees, Russian President Vladimir Putin would initiate a new war. He recalled that he had been striving for a sustainable ceasefire since 2019 and had negotiated with Putin about it.
“They started killing us about a month later. I called Putin. I said, ‘We agreed, we have a serious document.’ He replied that there was no such thing and that he would look into it. Meanwhile, Russians and separatists continued to shoot,” the president stated, adding that he called the Russian leader two to four more times until the Kremlin stopped answering the phone.
At that time, the head of state was seeking further meetings in the Normandy format, but the Russians refused them.
“We tried to arrange a meeting with the help of various countries in Europe and beyond. But the Russians did not want to. Instead, they sent snipers to war, who later fought in Syria and Africa. It was a hunt for Russian-speaking individuals,” Zelensky noted.
It is worth recalling that earlier Zelensky stated that the new U.S. President Donald Trump genuinely wishes to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, according to the Ukrainian president, this cannot be achieved in one day, although the hot phase of the war could be ended “fairly quickly” if Trump “is strong in his position.”
In December 2024, the newly elected U.S. president met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump stated that Zelensky and Ukraine would like to reach an agreement with Russia to ‘stop this madness’.
At the same time, Zelensky explained to journalists that Ukraine is not in a weak, but at the same time not in a strong enough position to begin peace negotiations.
Cat Kellogg, whom Donald Trump appointed as special envoy for the war in Ukraine, believes that both Kiev and Moscow are already ready for peace talks.
In May, Kellogg proposed a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine along the current line of conflict. To encourage Ukraine to start negotiations, he suggested continuing to arm it only if it agrees to sit at the negotiation table.