Ukraine and US not on same side on some issues, Zelenskyy says

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on January 16, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States had worked productively on efforts to achieve peace but differed on some issues.

“I believe Ukraine has the initiative in the negotiations. I believe we are moving faster than Russia. We have worked very well with the American side. We are simply not on the same side on some issues. That is clear — I am defending the interests of our state. And an ultimatum, in my view, is not a workable model of democratic relations between countries,” Zelenskyy said.

Security guarantees

As the president stressed, Ukraine must clearly know that the war will not resume — immediately, in one, two or three months, or after the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s term.

“Security guarantees must work so that the Ukrainian people trust them, not world leaders. Citizens who have lived through the war understand security better than many defense ministers. This is an experienced nation that wants clear guarantees it can believe in. That is the top priority,” the president said.

Funds for Ukraine’s recovery and the army

Zelenskyy also says ending the war is the first step, with Ukraine’s reconstruction to follow. He added the country also needs money to rebuild its million-strong army.

“We need funds to restore the army, to keep 800,000 troops. These are concrete sums for specific years. Ukraine’s budget will not have them, as the country will be rebuilding,” he said.

He said that without clear recovery funds, Ukraine would have to use its own budget, forcing a choice between a strong army or fast reconstruction.

“Ukraine deserves rapid recovery. That requires funding, while keeping the army as the main security guarantee. These are strategically important issues,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia delays the end of the war

The president understands that the United States wants the war to end tomorrow, while Ukraine wants it to end today. Russia, however, is holding back the entire process.

“We are both interested in ending it sooner. And we understand that the delay in signing and ending the war comes from Russia,” the head of state said.

As an example, he cited an agreement with Russia to exchange 1,000 prisoners at the end of 2025 — a process Moscow postponed.

“Russia is dragging out every process, starting with the humanitarian track. Let’s exchange a thousand people — postponed. Let’s exchange at least five hundred — postponed. Let’s exchange all for all — this is part of the 20 points — postponed. So who postponed it? Who doesn’t want to end the war? The issue is not desire, but pressure. Sufficient pressure on Russia will end it. I believe we are very close to this,” Zelenskyy said.