Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced hope on Saturday that US-brokered peace talks next week in Geneva would be serious and substantive, but said Ukraine was being asked "too often" to make concessions in the negotiations.
Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations are due to meet in the Swiss lakeside city on Tuesday and Wednesday as US President Donald Trump seeks to push through a deal to end Europe's biggest war since 1945.
"We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all us but honestly sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things," Zelenskiy said in a speech at the annual Munich Security Conference.
Ukraine and Russia, which invaded its neighbour in February 2022, have engaged in two recent rounds of talks brokered by Washington in Abu Dhabi described by the sides as constructive but achieving no major breakthroughs.
Zelenskiy called for greater action from Ukraine's allies to press Russia into making peace - both in the form of tougher sanctions and more weapons supplies.
Recalling his appeal four years ago, when he spoke at the same conference days before tens of thousands of Russian forces poured into Ukraine, Zelenskiy said there was too much talk by Western officials and not enough action.
Trump has the power to force Putin to declare a ceasefire and needed to do so, Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian officials have said a ceasefire is required to hold a referendum on any peace deal, which would be organised alongside national elections.
The Ukrainian leader, a former television entertainer, acknowledged he was feeling "a little bit" of pressure from Trump, who yesterday said Zelenskiy should not miss the "opportunity" to make peace soon and urged him "to get moving".
"The Americans often return to the topic of concessions and too often those concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia," Zelenskiy said.
Instead, Zelenskiy said, he wanted instead to hear what compromises Moscow would be ready for, as Ukraine had already made many of its own.
DEADLOCK OVER TERRITORY
Land remains the major sticking point in negotiations, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern area of Donetsk that Moscow has failed to capture - something Kyiv steadfastly refuses to do.
Zelenskiy said he was instead ready to discuss a US proposal for a free trade zone in that region, while freezing the rest of the 1,200-km (745-mile) front line.
Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Analysts say Moscow has gained about 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since early 2024. Its recent air strikes on Ukraine's cities and electricity infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heating and power during the course of a bitterly cold winter.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks that US. congressional mid-term elections in November could focus the Trump administration on domestic political issues after the summer.
Zelenskiy said he hoped the US would stay involved in the negotiations, and that there would be an opportunity for Europe, which he said was currently sidelined, to play a bigger role.
'EUROPE NOT PRESENT'
"Europe is practically not present at the table. It's a big mistake to my mind," he said.
Russia said its delegation to Geneva would be led by Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky, a change from negotiations in Abu Dhabi at which Russia's team was led by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.
Ukrainian sources have criticised Medinsky's handling of previous talks, accusing him of delivering history lessons to the Ukrainian team instead of engaging in substantive negotiations.
Zelenskiy, who has long argued that the best way to achieve peace is to force Russia to the table with military and economic pressure, said he had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen punitive steps against tankers that export Russian oil.
Oil exports are a key revenue source for the Russian state, and in recent months some empty tankers have been targeted by Ukrainian drones.
On Saturday France's foreign minister said some G7 countries have expressed readiness to enact a maritime services ban on Russian oil and that Paris was "reasonably optimistic" it would be included in the European Union's next sanctions package.
