Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he will not present a “bad deal” to end the war for a referendum, and that his country will only hold elections once firm security guarantees and a ceasefire are in place.
Zelensky was speaking ahead of Friday’s Munich Security Conference, where there is a chance he will meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for both presidential elections and a referendum on any peace agreement with Russia, but set clear conditions for when that could happen.
“The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky told The Atlantic. “That’s why we started supporting their proposals in any format that speeds things along.
“I don’t think we should put a bad deal up for a referendum,” he added.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey for a “new and timely air defence package” worth £500m on the eve of Friday’s conference.
The European leaders gathering in Germany are hoping for clarity around US president Donald Trump’s inconsistent geopolitical policies and threats that have caused concern for transatlantic relations and the post-World War II international order.
