Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a war against democratic self-determination across Europe, not a limited conflict over territory. In a statement published on his official Telegram channel, the Ukrainian president argued that Moscow’s objective goes far beyond Donbas or any specific region. “Putin started this war and is prolonging it not only for our Donbas,” Zelensky wrote, “but to remove peoples from deciding the fate of their countries.” The WP Times reports, citing the Telegram post, that Kyiv is pushing to ensure this assessment shapes the framework of any future peace deal.
Zelensky warned that territorial concessions would not end the conflict, because Russia’s aims are structural rather than geographic. “Russia’s war against Ukraine has always been and remains a war about something more than the land of Ukraine itself,” he said. “That is why Russia will never be satisfied with any particular piece of territory if someone gifts it to her.” According to the Ukrainian president, the Kremlin seeks the ability to decide outcomes for other nations — “personally or together with friends like him” — rather than coexist within a rules-based European order.
Setting out Kyiv’s negotiating position, Zelensky said any agreement to end the war must explicitly defend what he called “the fundamental principles of Europe and normal national life”: independence, sovereignty and democracy. He stressed that Ukraine and its partners are scrutinising every element of a prospective settlement. “We are working carefully on every point, on every step,” he wrote, “to achieve not a ‘backroom deal’ about dividing territory and resources, but an agreement on stable and lasting peace and reliable security guarantees.” He added: “This is our goal.”
The statement was issued after Zelensky addressed media representatives alongside Portugal’s prime minister, Luís Montenegro, following bilateral talks. The appearance was intended to underline unity with European partners at a moment when diplomatic pressure is growing for negotiations. Ukrainian officials have consistently argued that a ceasefire or settlement without enforceable guarantees would merely freeze the conflict and legitimise force as a tool of policy.
Zelensky concluded by thanking countries supporting this approach, saying international backing is essential to transforming principles into binding commitments. His remarks come as European governments continue to debate how to reconcile calls for an end to the fighting with concerns that concessions could weaken democratic norms and long-term security on the continent.
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Photo: Telegram channel of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
