Zelensky vows not to sign weak peace deal with Russia despite pressure

President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his New Year’s Greeting, vowed not to repeat the mistakes of previous failed agreements with Russia, saying he will only sign a strong peace deal backed by real security guarantees — not “a Budapest-style piece of paper” or “a Minsk-style meticulously drafted trap.”

The President stated that the peace agreement is 90 percent ready.

“Ten percent remains. That is far more than just numbers. Those ten percent contain, in fact, everything. Those are the ten percent that will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live. Ten percent to save millions of lives. Ten percent of the determination needed for peace to work one hundred percent. Ten percent of the unity and wisdom so desperately needed – Ukrainian, American, European, from the entire world. Ten percent to peace,” the leader of the Ukrainian state said.

He emphasized that Ukraine wants the war to end, but not at any cost.

“Those who think so are deeply mistaken. And clearly, over all these years, they still have not understood who Ukrainians are. People who have held on through 1,407 days of a full-scale war. Just take in that number. That is longer than the Nazi occupation of many of our cities during World War II. 1,407 days of an unconquered Ukraine,” he reminded. 

According to him, Russia does not end its wars on its own. There has never been a war in history that ended on its own free will. Only pressure from others – only coercion from others, which they themselves call “a goodwill gesture,” the President highlighted.

“This can be confirmed by everyone against whom Moscow has waged war at different times. Poland, Türkiye, Finland, Syria, Georgia, Abkhazia, Ossetia, Chechnya – and the list can go on endlessly, because almost the entire territory of Russia was assembled through wars. This is who we are dealing with. We – Ukraine, Europe, the United States, and the entire world,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented.

The President stated that pressure is being exerted on Ukraine, but did not specify who is responsible for this pressure.

“That is why we keep fighting the way we do and proving what should have been obvious long ago: that after the occupation of Crimea, the seizure of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the full-scale invasion on February 24, after Bucha, Mariupol, Olenivka, and everything the Kremlin has been doing all along – taking them at their word is nothing less than a verdict. A verdict against shared international security and against every leader whose duty is simply to protect their people,” he said. 

Intentions must become security guarantees. And therefore, be ratified. By the U.S. Congress, by European parliaments, by all partners. A Budapest-style piece of paper will not satisfy Ukraine. Ukraine does not need a Minsk-style meticulously drafted trap. Signatures under weak agreements only fuel war. My signature will be under a strong agreement. And that is exactly what every meeting, every call, every decision is about right now. To secure a strong peace for everyone. Not for a day, not for a week, not for two months – peace for years. Only then will it truly be a success. For Ukraine, for America, for Europe – and, in truth, for every nation that wants to live, not to fight”.

Zelenskyy stressed that the United States of America are capable of stopping the aggressor quickly and decisively, imposing further, harsh sanctions.

According to him, sanctions are biting Russia – but only an iron grip will work. Russian oil is already cheap, but their tankers must be stopped completely for the war to stop. Russian plants are already slowing down, but they must be brought to a halt so that the occupier cannot advance.

“And Tomahawks in Ukrainian hands would prove only one thing: peace has no alternative. There must be peace. There must be support. And there must be a strong agreement. And then – everything will work,” he stressed.

To provide background, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise, the war in Ukraine has not ended 24 hours after his inauguration. His further attempts to facilitate an unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have also failed. U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to impose further sanctions on Russia. Numerous expert points out that the United States of America is pressuring the victim country, not the aggressor country.