Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders have warned the United States against striking a Ukraine peace deal with Russia "behind their backs," insisting they must be included in any negotiations.
Kyiv and the EU were left on the diplomatic sidelines when U.S. President Donald Trump held a 90-minute phone call on Wednesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during which the two agreed to initiate peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump's move sent shockwaves through European capitals, sparking concerns that Kyiv could be sidelined in discussions about its own future.
Speaking ahead of the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, Zelenskyy said: "We, as an independent country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.
"Today it's important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the U.S.]."
He said it was important for the United States and Ukraine to draw up a plan to end the war before talking to the Russian side.
Zelenskyy also tried to play down the significance of Trump calling Putin before him on Wednesday, saying it did not look like a marker of Washington's real priorities but was nonetheless "unpleasant."
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also criticized Trump's administration for engaging with Moscow without consulting Kyiv or Europe.
Speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Kallas said: "It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work. Any agreement will need also Ukraine and Europe being part of it. Why are we giving them [Russia] everything that they want even before the negotiations have been started?"
"It's appeasement. It has never worked," Kallas said, adding: "Any quick fix is a dirty deal."
On Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also urged the U.S. to cooperate with Europe and Ukraine to forge a "just peace."
"Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. TOGETHER," Tusk wrote on social media.
Trump's move sent shockwaves through European capitals, sparking concerns that Kyiv could be sidelined in discussions about its own future.
Speaking ahead of the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, Zelenskyy said: "We, as an independent country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.
"Today it's important that everything does not go according to Putin's plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the U.S.]."
He said it was important for the United States and Ukraine to draw up a plan to end the war before talking to the Russian side.
Zelenskyy also tried to play down the significance of Trump calling Putin before him on Wednesday, saying it did not look like a marker of Washington's real priorities but was nonetheless "unpleasant."
'Any quick fix is a dirty deal'
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also criticized Trump's administration for engaging with Moscow without consulting Kyiv or Europe.
Speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Kallas said: "It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work. Any agreement will need also Ukraine and Europe being part of it. Why are we giving them [Russia] everything that they want even before the negotiations have been started?"
"It's appeasement. It has never worked," Kallas said, adding: "Any quick fix is a dirty deal."
On Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also urged the U.S. to cooperate with Europe and Ukraine to forge a "just peace."
"Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. TOGETHER," Tusk wrote on social media.
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