President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, said Ukraine hopes to end the war within a year, stressing that much depends on leaders but also on public support.
Zelenskyy said it is important for Ukraine to maintain constant contact with the United States. He announced a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He also said Ukraine will do everything to ensure that none of the parties in the negotiating process can accuse Kyiv of slowing down efforts to end the war.
At the same time, Zelenskyy said Europe is still “not very present” in the talks and that Ukraine needs security guarantees from European partners. According to him, Europe is currently providing most of Ukraine’s financial support, while Canada and Japan are contributing humanitarian assistance.
The president also said Ukraine is working on a security guarantees framework and wants it to be long-term and more credible for investors. Zelenskyy noted that the US side has proposed guarantees for 15 years, while Ukraine would like 20 years or more — “30, 50”.
Commenting on the negotiating outlook, Zelenskyy suggested that Putin may try to “play” individual leaders to divide Europe, and said the most effective format would involve Europe, the United States, Ukraine and Russia at the same table.
Zelenskyy also outlined the structure of the talks, which he described as having political and military tracks. He said the military track should agree on how a monitoring mission would work to oversee a ceasefire, and that prisoner exchanges are also being discussed. Zelenskyy said about 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war are currently held by Russia, while Ukraine holds more than 4,000, adding that any step on exchanges would be positive.
He also said the US side had conveyed a position that “peace would come faster” if Ukraine withdrew its troops from Donbas. Zelenskyy said Ukraine cannot withdraw forces from its own territory or “trade” territory, and argued that Putin’s minimum goal is full control of Donetsk region.
On the so-called “coalition of the willing,” Zelenskyy said he supports the idea of deploying foreign troops after a ceasefire — on land, in the air, or at sea — but stressed that each country must make its own decision. He added that he had previously avoided publicly raising the issue of inviting foreign troops to Ukraine out of concern it could undermine support.
Zelenskyy also said there is no decision yet from Germany on Taurus missiles, and noted the launch of a joint German-Ukrainian drone production project.
On a possible “energy ceasefire,” the Ukrainian side said the issue would be touched upon, but details would not be discussed publicly.
Finally, Zelenskyy commented on the possible involvement of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the next round, suggesting he could join when sanctions are on the agenda. He also said Ukraine has not yet received the list of US participants for a Switzerland meeting, but expects Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.