Volodymyr Zelenskyy says war in Ukraine at ‘beginning of the end’

Zelenskyy said the U.S. is convinced Putin will stop his war if he hands over the eastern Donbas territory, an idea he said was short-sighted. Photo by SUZANNE PLUNKETT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/Postmedia files

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia and Ukraine were at the “beginning of the end” of Europe’s biggest conflict since the second world war, but urged Washington to see through Vladimir Putin’s negotiating “games”.

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In a wide-ranging FT interview on the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian president warned that without firm western security guarantees Moscow would use a ceasefire to rebuild its forces for another assault.

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Zelenskyy also urged the EU to stop prevaricating and to fix a date for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, saying it should be as early as 2027.

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“I want a date. I am asking for it,” he said. “Let us not allow the next leaders or the next generation to face a situation where Russia blocks Ukraine’s EU membership for 50 years.”

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Speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv, Zelenskyy accused Russia’s leader of using overtures to United States President Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position. Asked how peace talks were progressing, he said the “Russians are playing games” and were not serious about bringing the war to a close.

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“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” said the former film star turned Ukrainian president. “Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No — he is a bad actor.”

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Earlier this month, Zelenskyy claimed Russian officials had dangled a package of economic co-operation deals with the U.S. worth as much as US$12 trillion, citing his intelligence services. He said the offer contained provisions “about Ukraine” that would potentially exploit natural resources in territories under Russian occupation.

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He rejected Putin’s suggestions that Ukraine would use a temporary halt in fighting to regroup for an offensive. “It is demagoguery and lies,” he said. “Look at who benefits from such claims.” He added that Moscow was mobilizing 40,000 troops a month and losing 35,000. “A pause is needed by them no less than by us.”

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“Ukraine needs a ceasefire — yesterday, today, tomorrow,” he said. “We don’t need a pause. We need the end of the war.”

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Citing Ukrainian intelligence assessments, Zelenskyy said Russia’s grinding battlefield advances in 2025 cost “an average of 167 people per kilometre of occupied territory”.

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“You can see immediately what they are occupying and what they are not. Where they claim to be holding positions, you can see they are not holding anything,” he said, noting the large contested areas of the frontline.

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“On the contrary, we have advanced,” he added, referring to recent gains in contested areas on the south-eastern front that he said had been aided by a ban on the unauthorized use of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system by Russian forces.

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Zelenskyy’s push for an EU accession timetable comes as peace talks confront contentious issues including the sequencing of a ceasefire, territorial control and security guarantees. Kyiv insists any halt in fighting must be accompanied by binding commitments from western partners to deter future Russian offensives.