Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called out Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to drop “unnecessary demands” that are stalling peace efforts, just days before crucial talks in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at a joint news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian and U.S. officials will meet in Jeddah next Monday—coinciding with separate U.S.-Russia discussions confirmed by the Kremlin.
Zelensky didn’t mince words: Putin’s insistence on ending all military aid to Ukraine and blocking its NATO ambitions is a non-starter. “Taking NATO membership off the table would be a big gift to Russia,” he warned, dismissing the idea as a concession too far. Moscow’s demands, he argued, only drag out a war that’s already stretched past three years since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The talks come as the U.S. scrambles to broker a ceasefire, with both Zelensky and Putin nodding to the idea in principle during recent chats with American officials. But the devil’s in the details—and those details are clashing hard. Putin’s latest olive branch, a pause on strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, was secured by President Donald Trump in a Tuesday call. Yet, overnight attacks from both sides—killing two in Ukraine and injuring 10 in Russia while torching an airfield—prove the truce is more wishful thinking than reality.
Zelensky also shot down White House whispers about handing Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to the U.S. “All nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine,” he declared, addressing speculation tied to a Trump call about the Russian-held Zaporizhia facility. Still, he left the door ajar for U.S. investment or upgrades—if Washington can wrest it from Moscow’s grip. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had pitched American ownership as a shield for the infrastructure, but Zelensky’s not biting.
On the territorial front, Zelensky stood firm when asked about Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014. “That is a Ukrainian peninsula,” he said, calling it an “integral part” of his nation, despite Moscow’s annexation claims. Internationally, Crimea’s still Ukraine’s—on paper, at least.
What’s a ceasefire look like to Kyiv? “It starts with land and sea,” Zelensky said, framing it as the only way to halt Russia’s aggression. He’s heading to Saudi Arabia with a wishlist of key infrastructure—like energy sites—he wants shielded from Russian bombs.
Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Overnight strikes underscored the stakes: Ukraine’s pleading for more firepower, with Zelensky begging EU leaders via video link for €5 billion (£4.18 billion) in artillery shells ASAP. “Support for Ukraine is crucial,” he stressed, pushing for Europe to stay in the peace-talks loop and keep the heat on Russia. EU brass in Brussels are now hashing out their next defense moves.
Across the Channel, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s sounding the alarm: “The time for planning is now.” Hosting a closed-door huddle with military bigwigs from his “coalition of the willing”—a 30-plus-nation posse led by Britain and France—he’s plotting how to lock in peace if a deal sticks. “It might come in stages,” he said at a London military base, “but the more we prep now, the better we’ll handle what’s coming.”
With Saudi Arabia’s talks on the horizon, the world’s watching to see if this latest push can finally quiet the guns—or if it’s just another false dawn in a war that refuses to end.