Ukraine can not accept peace agreements with Russia without its participation - Zelensky

The head of state said this at a joint press conference with the leaders of the Nordic countries and the Baltics in Tallinn, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Zelensky said that, with all due respect to the United States, it could participate in any negotiation format because Ukraine would need security guarantees from both Europe and the United States in the future. He added that Ukraine would welcome the participation of the American team, but urged partners not to repeat past mistakes, whereby a country, whether large or small, reached an agreement with Russia and then presented it to Ukraine as a finished proposal. He stressed that Ukraine would not accept negotiations conducted without its involvement while the war was being fought on its territory and while Ukrainians were bearing the majority of the losses. Zelensky emphasized the principle of "nothing about us without us."

At the same time, the president noted that the negotiation formats could be different.

"We understand that E3 [the United Kingdom, France, Germany] is a good variant, but I think it is up to Europe. Europe has to discuss it together, who it will be. Then propose it to us, and we will support it," the president said.

Zelensky also called on everyone not to repeat mistakes. "For example, the Normandy format - it was in the past. We do not need to repeat the Minsk agreements. I think E3 is better than the other formats were," Zelensky said.

In a Telegram post, Zelensky added that Europe is strongest when Europeans act together, not separately. "This is what we are achieving in all our formats. On Sunday, we had the Ukraine–E3 format. Today, it is Ukraine–NB8. And we stay in regular contact with the United States. We are preparing together for the upcoming EU and NATO summits, as well as the G7 summit meetings. All of this can bring real results," the president concluded.

As previously reported, on June 4 Zelensky wrote an open letter to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and proposed a personal meeting to end the war. The President of Ukraine said that such a meeting could take place in third countries that traditionally serve as platforms for international negotiations, including Switzerland, Turkey, or Arab states. Zelensky emphasized that he does not consider holding negotiations in Moscow or Kyiv.

The Russian dictator rejected the Ukrainian president's proposal.

Photo: screenshot from video