Zelensky told AP that excluding Ukraine from peace talks on the war is "dangerous for everyone."

Vladimir Zelensky stated that excluding Ukraine from negotiations between the US and Russia regarding the war in Ukraine would be "very dangerous." The President believes that more discussions between Kyiv and Washington are necessary to develop a ceasefire plan.

He mentioned this in an interview with the Associated Press.

“Zelensky said that Russia does not want to participate in ceasefire negotiations or discuss any concessions that the Kremlin perceives as a defeat while its troops have an advantage on the battlefield,” the agency reports. According to the Ukrainian president, Trump could engage Putin in negotiations under the threat of sanctions against Russia's energy and banking sectors, as well as continuing support for Ukrainian military forces. “I believe these are the closest and most important steps,” the president added.

Zelensky's statement came after Trump's comments that American and Russian officials are “already talking” about ending the war. According to the US president, there are “very serious discussions.”

“They may have their own relationships, but talking about Ukraine without us is dangerous for everyone,” Zelensky said. He added that his team had been in contact with the Trump administration, but these discussions are occurring at a “general level.” The president believes that personal meetings will soon take place to develop more detailed agreements.

“We need to work on this more,” Zelensky said, adding that Trump was understandably focused on domestic issues in the first weeks after his inauguration.

Zelensky stated that during their first phone call during the presidential campaign, he and Trump agreed that if Trump won, they would meet to discuss the steps necessary to end the war. However, the planned visit of Trump’s representative Keith Kellogg to Ukraine was postponed “for legal reasons,” the president stated. This was followed by a sudden freeze on foreign aid, causing Ukrainian organizations to effectively halt their projects.

“I believe that first and foremost, we (should) have a meeting with him, and this is important. And by the way, this is what everyone in Europe wants,” Zelensky said, referring to a “shared vision for a quick end to the war.” The president believes that the EU should also be at the negotiating table.

At the same time, without security guarantees for Ukraine, any agreement with Russia would only foreshadow future aggression. Zelensky believes that NATO membership is the “cheapest” option for allies, and it would also strengthen Trump geopolitically.

“This will signal that it is not Russia that decides who should be in NATO and who should not, but the United States of America. I believe this is a significant victory for Trump,” he said.

Additionally, Zelensky noted that Ukraine's 800,000-strong army would be a bonus for the alliance, especially if Trump wants to bring home American troops stationed abroad.

Other proposals for security guarantees must be backed by a sufficient supply of weapons from the US and Europe and support for Kyiv in developing its own defense industry, he said.

Regarding France's proposal to deploy European forces in Ukraine to deter Russian aggression, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is interested, but as part of security guarantees, not as a sole security guarantee.

After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the war has set Ukraine back 100 years, Zelensky urged Rubio to visit Ukraine.

Rubio “needs to come to Ukraine, first of all, to see what Russia has done,” said the Ukrainian president. “But also to see what the Ukrainian people have done, what they could do for the security of Ukraine and the world, as I have already said, and just to talk to these people,” Zelensky added.