Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed more details of the content of his Wednesday call with US President Donald Trump, in Saturday remarks given before the Munich Security Conference.
Zelensky disclosed that he repeatedly urged Trump to meet with him in person, and there was no assent from Trump on the matter.
"I think I said first that we have to meet. But we understood each other because I didn’t say (anything) about it once," the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky as well as European leaders have expressed deep frustration that Trump chose to call Russia's President Putin first, wherein they talked for 90-minutes, amid fears that Zelensky will be cut out from US-Moscow negotiations to end the war.
French President Emmanuel Macron has demanded that Zelensky be at the table, and that nothing can be decided regarding a future peace deal without consulting Ukraine.
Also on Saturday, Zelensky said that his country can't hold elections as martial law is still in effect, amid growing criticism that he's extending martial law to stay in power, and establishing anti-democratic norms.
His term expired in May 2024, but he asserted, "I’m focusing on the survival of our country, and I am doing it really all my term."
"I’m ready to speak about elections if you want," he said, claiming that "Ukrainians don’t want, totally don’t want, because they are afraid, because otherwise we will lose the military loan, the war loan, our soldiers will come back home, and (Russian President) Putin will occupy all our territory."
He argued that he has maintained the unity of the country amid the Russian invasion...
"So it’s not about myself. It’s about the future of our country. The question is to survive to save Ukraine, our independence, our people, (and) our homes. And if somebody doesn’t like (it), they can choose another citizenship," he said.
He was also asked about the question of the US taking NATO membership off the table, somewhat shocking European allies this week.
"If we are not in NATO, then as I said, NATO has to be in Ukraine. We will need an army comparable with soldiers of Russia; it’s 1.3 or 1.5 million soldiers," he said.
Zelensky claims: only Putin and 'few voices in US' want elections in Ukraine
Of course, such a scenario would certainly lead to runaway escalation with Russia, which Trump has vowed to seek to avoid at all costs. Zelensky has stood accused of fearmongering in order to induce greater US and Western intervention in the conflict.