The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, told Bloomberg that only guarantees from Washington can serve as a reliable condition for Ukraine to enter negotiations with the Kremlin, as reported by Tengrinews.kz citing RBC.
"The only question is what security guarantees are, and to be honest, I want to have an understanding before the negotiations," he said, explaining that in his opinion, without long-term Western commitments, Russia would use the ceasefire as an opportunity to rearm for a new offensive.
Zelensky believes that a resolution is impossible without the involvement of the U.S., even if "some European friends" think otherwise.
"No, that cannot happen. No one will take risks without the United States," he stated.
The Ukrainian president identified Trump as the most influential figure in this matter alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping: "I think there is no other ally who can really do this. His economy, Putin's, is very much dependent on China."
According to Zelensky, Kyiv does not want Ukraine's fate to be decided without its input. He expressed confidence that the U.S. would not allow this, but noted: "Although I'm not sure this hasn't happened before. Here I'm not only talking about America but also about some European partners."
In his social media, Zelensky stated that pressuring Russia to bring it to the negotiating table through restrictions on energy resources, particularly oil, is "one of the most important keys to peace, to real security."
"Peace through strength is possible, and we are absolutely confident in this. The main thing is not to lose momentum and keep the pressure on Russia... Europe must work more closely with America and other global partners in the energy sector, rather than with Russia. We are preparing our diplomacy and international communications to ensure strong positions not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe," Zelensky wrote.
On Thursday, January 23, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices, believing that a decrease in raw material costs would lead to an immediate end to the conflict in Ukraine. Following this announcement, oil prices dropped.
On the eve, Trump also threatened sanctions and high tariffs on "everything that Russia sells to the United States and various other participating countries" if Moscow refuses to conclude a deal regarding Ukraine.