‘Not Fair’: Zelenskyy Says Trump Putting 'Undue Pressure' On Ukraine, Not Russia

Last Updated:February 18, 2026, 05:58 IST

The Ukrainian leader said any proposal requiring Ukraine to give up additional territory in the eastern Donbas region would be firmly rejected.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US President Donald Trump is exerting undue pressure on Ukraine to make concessions in peace negotiations with Russia, warning that Ukrainians would never accept surrendering more territory. In an interview with Axios, Zelenskyy said it was “not fair" that Trump had repeatedly called on Ukraine, rather than Russia, to make compromises.

“I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision," Zelenskyy said, referring to Trump’s public statements urging Kyiv to move quickly toward a deal. Trump had earlier said Ukraine needed to negotiate “fast," as diplomatic efforts continued alongside talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and US officials in Geneva.

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Zelenskyy suggested it might be easier politically for Washington to pressure Kyiv than Moscow but stressed he would not easily give in.

“We respect each other," Zelenskyy said of his discussions with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner.

“I am not such a person" to fold under pressure, he added.

The Ukrainian leader said any proposal requiring Ukraine to give up additional territory in the eastern Donbas region would be firmly rejected by voters.

“Emotionally, people will never forgive this. Never. They will not forgive… me, they will not forgive (the United States)," Zelenskyy said.

He added that Ukrainians “can’t understand why" they would be asked to surrender land beyond areas already occupied by Russian forces.

“This is part of our country, all these citizens, the flag, the land," he said.

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Zelenskyy said a peace agreement that freezes the war along the current front lines could be acceptable if approved in a referendum.

“I think that if we will put in the document … that we stay where we stay on the contact line, I think that people will support this," he said.

Russia currently controls most of the Donbas region, a key battleground in the war that began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The talks took place amid continued military escalation, with both sides reporting fresh attacks. Ukraine said Russia launched around 400 drones and nearly 30 missiles overnight targeting several regions, damaging critical infrastructure and wounding civilians. Russia, in turn, said it shot down numerous Ukrainian drones and reported damage to energy sites following strikes inside its territory.

News world ‘Not Fair’: Zelenskyy Says Trump Putting 'Undue Pressure' On Ukraine, Not Russia

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