Lasting peace must be achieved, not just another pause between invasions – Zelensky

According to Ukrinform, Zelensky said this in a post on Telegram.

“Today, following a conversation with President Trump, we further coordinated positions with European leaders. The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned. Thousands of our people remain in captivity – they all must be brought home. Pressure on Russia must be maintained while the aggression and occupation continue,” Zelensky wrote.

He added that in his conversation with President Trump, he said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war.

“Sanctions are an effective tool. Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with the involvement of both Europe and the U.S. All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine,” Zelensky stressed.

He also expressed gratitude to partners for assistance.

As earlier reported by Ukrinform, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On Friday, President Trump held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Representative Steve Witkoff. Representing Russia were Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Following the meeting, President Trump told Fox News that he and Putin had reached a preliminary understanding suggesting the war in Ukraine could be resolved through a territorial exchange and specific security guarantees from the United States. He noted that the finalization of any agreement would reportedly depend on President Zelensky.

European leaders in a joint statement later welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to achieve peace and reaffirmed the need for “ironclad security guarantees” for Ukraine.

Photo credit: President’s Office