Will not give in

Zelensky says Ukraine will not give in to Moscow’s "ultimatums" after US-Russia talks

From CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova and Christian Edwards

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will not “give in to Russia’s ultimatums,” following talks between Trump administration officials and Moscow in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Zelensky – who was not invited to the US-Russia talks and is instead in Turkey – said Ukraine did not give in to Russian ultimatums when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion three years ago, “and I am not going to do so (now).”

“Russia attacked Ukraine and we had no choice but to take up arms and defend ourselves. And there was no diplomacy because Russia attacked, attacked Ukraine at night and Ukrainians took up arms and started to defend their country,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Turkey’s capital Ankara.

Zelensky said Moscow gave Ukraine an “ultimatum” shortly after launching its invasion, demanding that Ukraine reduce its troop numbers and allow Moscow to install “a pro-Russian leadership” in Ukraine.

“If we didn’t go for all these ultimatums at the most difficult moment, why do we have the feeling that Ukraine will do it now?” the president said.

Before Tuesday’s talks in Riyadh, Zelensky had said he would refuse to sign any agreement negotiated without Kyiv’s involvement.

Zelensky suggested that the US-Russia talks dealt another blow to the West’s policy of nothing “about Ukraine without Ukraine,” which President Donald Trump effectively ended when he called Vladimir Putin last week.

The Ukrainian leader said he would like to see those who are “able to provide security guarantees to Ukraine” to be invited to join future talks about ending Russia’s invasion.