Negotiations with Putin, a meeting with Trump, and "cheap" guarantees: key takeaways from Zelensky's interview with AP.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to the Associated Press agency, where he addressed several important issues. In particular, the head of state discussed the war in Ukraine, negotiations between Russia and the USA, Emmanuel Macron's idea regarding troops, security guarantees, and much more.

"Telegraph" has compiled the main points from this interview. It’s worth noting that Zelensky expressed that Russia is unwilling to engage in negotiations for a ceasefire or discuss any concessions that the Kremlin perceives as a defeat while its forces have the upper hand on the battlefield.

Trump can bring Putin to the negotiating table

The Ukrainian leader noted that U.S. President Donald Trump is capable of bringing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table by threatening sanctions.

"I believe these are the closest and most important steps", he stated in the interview.

"Cheap" security guarantees

Zelensky emphasized that full membership of Ukraine in NATO, which Russia actively opposes, is the "cheapest" option for Ukraine's allies. This would signal that it is the USA, not Russia, that will decide "who gets to be in NATO and who doesn't."

"I truly believe these are the cheapest security guarantees Ukraine can receive, the cheapest for everyone", Zelensky remarked.

"Talking about Ukraine without Ukraine is dangerous"

Following Trump's comments that American and Russian officials are "already talking" about ending the war, Zelensky stated the following:

"They may have their own relationships, but talking about Ukraine without us is dangerous for everyone", Zelensky declared.

He mentioned that his team is in contact with the Trump administration, but these discussions are at a "general level," and he believes that personal meetings will soon take place to develop more detailed agreements.

"We need to work harder on this", he said, adding that it is understandable that Trump was focused on domestic issues during the initial weeks after his inauguration.

"Rubio should come to Ukraine to see what Russia has done"

The head of state believes that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio should visit Ukraine to comprehend the crimes committed by Russia. This was Zelensky's response to Rubio's statement that the war is taking the country back 100 years.

"Rubio should come to Ukraine, primarily to see what Russia has done. But also to see what the Ukrainian people have achieved, what they have done for the security of Ukraine and peace, as I mentioned, and simply to talk to these people", Zelensky emphasized.

Meeting with Trump

Zelensky stated that during their first phone call while Trump was campaigning, they agreed that if Trump won, they would meet to discuss the steps necessary to end the war.

"I believe that, first and foremost, we need to have a meeting with him, and this is important. And by the way, this is what everyone in Europe wants", the president said.

Deployment of European troops in Ukraine

Ukraine is interested in French President Emmanuel Macron's initiative regarding the potential deployment of troops from European countries to prevent new aggression from Russia.

"I stated in the presence of two leaders that we are interested in this as part of security guarantees, but not as the sole security guarantee," he said. "This is not enough."

Zelensky added: "Imagine there is a contingent. The question is, who is in charge? What will they do if there are Russian strikes? Missiles, landings, sea attacks, crossing the land border, offensives. What will they do?"

When asked if he had posed these questions directly to Macron, he smiled and said: "We are still in the process of this dialogue".

As a reminder, "Telegraph" previously reported that Zelensky gave a large interview to Fox News, where he spoke about the war in Ukraine, U.S. assistance, Trump, and Putin.