Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked international partners for their continued military and diplomatic backing but said significant questions remain over future security guarantees as fresh violence underscored the fragility of U.S.-brokered peace efforts.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Zelenskyy praised American and European allies for supplying air defense systems that protect critical infrastructure and “save lives,” while signaling differences over the sequencing of agreements aimed at ending the nearly five-year war.
Zelenskyy said Washington is eager to conclude a comprehensive agreement quickly, seeking to sign multiple arrangements simultaneously, while Kyiv insists that binding security guarantees must come first.
European countries including the United Kingdom and France have pledged troops to help secure Ukraine in the event of a settlement, and discussions continue over the scope of potential U.S. involvement.
Russian officials oppose any foreign troop presence in Ukraine, Zelenskyy suggested, warning that without firm guarantees Moscow could seek to renew hostilities.
He also questioned proposals for a free trade or economic zone in the largely Russian-occupied Donbas region, which Moscow has demanded Kyiv relinquish as part of a peace deal.
During negotiations, Russia has called for further territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine, including a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from remaining areas of Donetsk under Kyiv’s control.
Zelenskyy rejected the notion of withdrawing from Ukrainian territory, describing it as “a little bit crazy,” and said thousands have died defending the Donbas, home to roughly 200,000 residents.
Diplomatic uncertainty has unfolded alongside intensified cross-border attacks.
An elderly woman was killed when a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.
In Russia’s Bryansk region, a civilian died in a Ukrainian drone strike, authorities reported.
A Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed two people and wounded five, according to regional officials, while Russia-installed authorities in occupied Luhansk said a Ukrainian airstrike wounded 15 people.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it remains unclear whether Moscow is serious about ending the war, adding that Washington would continue to test Russia’s intentions as talks resume in Geneva next week.