After declaring that an end to the war with Russia was “very, very far away” on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he’s seeking “the swiftest possible” peace – not “endless war.”
Pres. Zelenskyy said Sunday that he expects the U.S. to continue providing aid to Ukraine in a protracted war, despite his contentious, public rejection of President Donald Trump’s peace plan, the Associated Press reports:
“A deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia ‘is still very, very far away,’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that he expects to keep receiving American support despite his recent fraught relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.”
But, on Monday, Pres. Zelenskyy introduced a video message to his “fellow Ukrainians” posted on X.com by writing that “The basic scenario is to maintain positions and create conditions for proper diplomacy to achieve the swiftest possible end to this war with a just peace.”
“We need peace, true and honest peace – not endless war,” Zelenskyy added.
In the video, Zelenskyy reports on a staff meeting held earlier in the day and details his plan to bring about “the soonest possible end to this war”:
“There were also some special issues concerning our national resilience on the staff meeting agenda today – we are working on all possible scenarios to protect Ukraine.
“The baseline scenario is to hold positions and create conditions for proper diplomacy for the soonest possible end to this war in a decent peace. We need peace – real peace – not endless war. And we need security guarantees.”
“Today, we continued working with our European partners on a special diplomatic and security framework that can bring peace closer,” Zelenskyy says. “In particular, this is what we discussed in London recently and what we had spoken about with many world leaders before that.”
Zelenskyy and the heads of other European countries are working together to “speed up diplomacy to end the war,” Ukraine’s president says.
While Zelenskyy says he’s counting on American support, the U.S. cut off aid to Ukraine on Monday, after he publicly rejected a deal that would have sped up the peace process, as Fox News reports:
“The Trump administration is pausing all aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit or in Poland, until Ukrainian leaders show more appreciation for U.S. support and a commitment to peace, Fox News has learned.”
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“A senior Trump administration official also told Fox News that military aid will remain on hold until Ukrainian leaders show a commitment to good faith peace negotiations.”
“The official said Monday's move was in response to Zelenskyy's conduct over the last week,” Fox News reports.
The basic scenario is to maintain positions and create conditions for proper diplomacy to achieve the swiftest possible end to this war with a just peace. We need peace, true and honest peace – not endless war. And security guarantees are essential.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 3, 2025
The absence of security… pic.twitter.com/fseIgc1Hdt