Zelenskyy: Russia is serious about a conversation in Abu Dhabi for the first time, and the US offers Moscow an «economic marriage»
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about Russian demands, US territorial proposals, new threats, and opportunities during a conversation with journalists. Key points from his statements.
Moscow wants to decide how Europe will defend itself
According to Zelenskyy, Russia insists: if Ukraine receives security guarantees, Moscow should also receive them. However, the parties understand different things by the same words.
«They say: «If you want security guarantees for Ukraine, then we want them for Russia.» One should understand what meaning Russia puts into this. This is not just about Ukraine not striking them. For them, it is a much broader and more specific issue,» Zelenskyy explained, as quoted by «UNIAN».
He says that Moscow is seeking a separate agreement with NATO or the US that would solidify its vision of European and global security. Zelenskyy views the demand to roll back NATO to its 1997 state as an attempt to reallocate influence and change the entire security system in Europe.
This directly affects Belarus's neighbors as well. In 1997, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were not yet in NATO.
According to Zelenskyy, only NATO countries themselves can resolve such issues. Neither Russia nor Ukraine can make decisions for them.
«Any retreat, any rollback in the sphere of security is a weakness for the Alliance,» he said.
First – the end of the war and guarantees for Ukraine
Zelenskyy believes it is premature to discuss Moscow's global demands until it is known on what terms the war against Ukraine will end and how the security of Ukrainians themselves will be guaranteed.
«First, the issues of this war must be resolved, and then we can seek answers to the questions that Russia raises based on its perceptions and expectations of security,» he stated.
For the same reason, Kyiv insists on the participation of Europeans in negotiations. According to Zelenskyy, without them, neither security guarantees, which involve the participation of European countries, nor Ukraine's post-war reconstruction can be discussed.
Zelenskyy also views a possible meeting of the leaders of the US, Russia, and China in Beijing through the prism of the risk of redividing spheres of influence. According to him, the exact agenda is still unknown, but Ukraine and the Middle East could be among the topics.
«We very much do not want this to be «Yalta — 2, 3, 4,» when influence is being reallocated,» he said.
According to Zelenskyy, such a format is most needed by Russia: the meeting could become another serious gain for the Kremlin after the Putin-Trump negotiations in Alaska.
«I simply do not see the benefit for China, and I clearly see the benefit of this format for Russia. We will see what kind of meeting this will be,» he noted.
What territorial compromises did the US propose?
Zelenskyy said that the American side, at various stages, proposed demilitarized zones, solutions regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP combined with territorial exchanges, and a buffer zone on both sides of the contact line in Donbas.
Ukraine was ready to discuss the creation of such a zone in Donbas.
A separate proposal concerned the Kinburn Spit: to demilitarize a part of the territory and leave it under Ukraine's control.
However, according to the president, there has been no further progress on these options. Moscow links territorial demands with the end of the war, and it is impossible to resolve them at the level of preliminary documents.
«This is an issue that only the leaders of warring states can discuss, and only at their level. No one else has such authority,» Zelenskyy emphasized.
What is planned for discussion in November
According to Zelenskyy, after a conversation with Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre conveyed to him that the Russian side is seriously set on a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and the US in November.
Kyiv plans to discuss de-escalation in energy and at sea, prisoner exchanges, and a possible meeting of the three presidents. After this, Ukraine expects negotiations with European participation.
Russia offers the US an «economic marriage»
Zelenskyy fears that the agreement on Russian diesel fuel opens the way for new agreements between Moscow and Washington. These could concern fertilizers, gas, frozen assets, and the lifting of sanctions on individuals and companies.
According to him, Russia is using its natural resources to offer the US a peculiar «economic marriage.» He doubts the long-term benefit of such relations for Americans.
«In every agreement with Russia, there is some unpleasant part that is not immediately visible,» Zelenskyy said.
Patriot missiles and elections
According to Zelenskyy, throughout 2026, Ukraine received an average of only 12 Patriot missiles per month from the US. He linked the limited supplies to the war in the Middle East.
Separately, the president stated that it is impossible to hold elections in Ukraine during the war. According to him, preparing a safe electoral process would require at least six months.
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