Zelensky says ceasefire without guarantees 'will be failure'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has told British media that a ceasefire without security guarantees for his country would not bring a lasting end to Russia's invasion after allies called for a truce.
At a press conference on Sunday after talks with European allies in London, Zelensky dismissed as "not enough" the idea that a ceasefire would end the war.
Following the crisis summit on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and Britain were proposing a one-month truce in Ukraine "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure" although not, initially at least, covering ground fighting.
Zelensky told journalists shortly before departing Britain that "it will be a failure for everyone if Ukraine is forced into a ceasefire without serious security guarantees". He predicted that Russia would break the deal and Ukraine would retaliate.
"Imagine a week later, the Russians will hit us, and we will shoot at their side, totally understandably, and what will it be?" Zelensky said, predicting years of wrangles over who was first to fire.
"Who will benefit for this? The Russians, but definitely not us."
Describing Sunday's talks as a "very powerful start", however, Zelensky said that negotiations in coming weeks "will provide a more actionable plan and a better understanding of what Ukraine's security guarantees could look like".
During an angry encounter in Washington on Friday, US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms, while Zelensky said he needed security guarantees.
The contentious meeting resulted in Zelensky leaving the White House without signing a preliminary pact on sharing Ukrainian mineral rights.
Some senior US Republicans suggested after that Zelensky should resign.
"We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war," National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CNN.
Zelensky said Sunday it would not be easy to replace him, but repeated his offer to step down in exchange for NATO membership for his war-torn country.
"If they replace me, given what is going on, given the support, simply replacing me will not be simple," Zelensky said.
"It's not enough to just hold an election. You need to also not let me run. This will be a bit more difficult. Looks like you will have to negotiate with me," he added.
"And I said that I am exchanging for NATO. Then I fulfilled my mission."
Russia has repeatedly insisted that Zelensky is not legitimate president since he would have faced a 2024 election in peacetime. Ukraine's martial law imposed a legal ban on holding elections.
