‘Undue pressure’: Zelenskyy slams Trump for pushing Ukraine in Russia peace talks

Zelenskyy says Trump pressuring Ukraine to make concessions in Russia talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused US President Donald Trump of exerting undue pressure on Ukraine to make concessions in peace negotiations with Russia, warning that Ukrainians would never accept surrendering more territory.

In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said it was “not fair" that Trump had repeatedly called on Ukraine, rather than Russia, to compromise.

“I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Zelensky said, referring to Trump’s public statements urging Kyiv to move quickly toward a deal. Trump had earlier said Ukraine needed to negotiate “fast," as diplomatic efforts continued alongside talks involving Russian, Ukrainian, and US officials in Geneva.

Zelensky acknowledged that it may be politically easier for Washington to pressure Kyiv than Moscow, but stressed that he would not yield easily.

“We respect each other," Zelensky said of his discussions with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner. “I am not such a person" to fold under pressure, he added.

The Ukrainian leader made it clear that any proposal requiring Ukraine to give up additional territory in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by voters.

“Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive… me, they will not forgive (the United States)," Zelensky said. He added that Ukrainians “can’t understand why" they would be asked to surrender land beyond areas already occupied by Russian forces.

“This is part of our country, all these citizens, the flag, the land," he emphasized.

Zelensky suggested that a peace agreement freezing the war along the current front lines could be acceptable if approved in a referendum.

“I think that if we put in the document … that we stay where we stay on the contact line, I think that people will support this," he said.

Russia currently controls most of the Donbas region, a key battleground in the conflict that began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The US-mediated peace talks in Geneva took place amid continued military escalation. Ukraine reported that Russia launched around 400 drones and nearly 30 missiles overnight, targeting several regions, damaging critical infrastructure, and wounding civilians. Russia claimed to have shot down numerous Ukrainian drones and reported damage to energy sites following strikes inside its territory.

Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, head of the National Security and Defence Council, said the day’s discussions focused on “practical issues and the mechanics of possible decisions,” with talks set to resume for a second day. Russian officials did not comment, although news agencies described the negotiations as “very tense,” lasting six hours across bilateral and trilateral formats.

Ahead of the Geneva talks, Russia carried out overnight airstrikes across Ukraine, severely damaging the power network in the southern port city of Odesa, leaving tens of thousands without heat and water.

“We are ready to move quickly toward a worthy agreement to end the war," Zelenskyy said in a nightly address, adding, "The question for the Russians is: Just what do they want?"