Ukraine wants an iron-clad peace deal, not a ceasefire that could be a 'Russian trap'

In the power center of Ukraine, a race against time is underway behind the scenes. Diplomats, parliamentarians, defense officials, and aides are working day and night in the hope of reaching a peace agreement to end the war. At the same time, they must also deal with an unpredictable American president and a massive shift in US policy toward Russia on the world stage.

Washington appears to be improving relations with Putin, excluding Ukraine from peace talks, while Donald Trump has even called President Zelenskyy a "dictator." "Does this help? It's surprising and unexpected," said Ukrainian defense official Yuri Sak. He emphasized, "We know, and all our partners know, that President Zelenskyy is not a dictator, that's a fact, because he was democratically elected."

Since the outbreak of the war, Yuri Sak has been at the forefront of Ukraine's efforts to rebuild its defense manufacturing capabilities. The former advisor to the Minister of Defense is now an aide to the person in charge of establishing a Ukrainian weapons manufacturing force within the country. "If we are at the negotiating table, the negotiation process will be more efficient," he said. But he added, "If the United States and Donald Trump think this is the only way to maintain the negotiation process, then we will be unhappy, but as long as the final decision is in the hands of Ukraine, we can accept it."

Sak stated that while Ukraine will never accept losing the territory currently occupied by Russia, Kyiv is willing to reach a peace agreement now if it means being able to reclaim those lands in future negotiations. "We realize that some of the territory we lost to the aggressor, we will have to regain later through a combination of military and diplomatic means," he said. "While we cannot insist on this at the moment, I believe there is a general understanding that at some point in the future we will come back to this issue."

The United States is Ukraine's largest supplier of military and humanitarian aid, and Ukraine cannot afford to lose US support if it wants to end the war. Trump has been pushing for a critical minerals deal with Ukraine, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, in exchange for the aid the US has already provided for the war. Trump said that President Zelenskyy would visit Washington, D.C. to sign this rare earth minerals agreement. Zelenskyy said his team urged the Americans to include a clause on supporting security guarantees in the agreement, although no specific decisions have yet been made. "I would like a sentence about security guarantees for Ukraine, and that sentence is important," he added.

Ukrainian officials have been walking a diplomatic tightrope, eager to reach a fair and lasting peace agreement while also needing to establish a working relationship with a new Trump White House. "We need to say these are our conditions. President Trump, if you want to conduct these negotiations yourself, you can. But these are the conditions," said Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko. He is a member of the Ukrainian opposition European Solidarity party and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Goncharenko said, "They need to know our conditions, our red lines. This peace should be a real peace, not a ceasefire."

Goncharenko emphasized that Ukraine will never accept Russia owning the territory it currently occupies, and that any peace talks would be meaningless unless allies provide rock-solid security guarantees to prevent Russia from invading again. "This territory will never be accepted as Russian. Yes, they are controlled by Russia, but they are illegally occupied, and one day we will regain control," he said. Despite numerous disagreements with President Zelenskyy, Goncharenko disagreed with Trump's claim that he is a dictator. "I am not a fan of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I didn't vote for him, and I wouldn't vote for him if he ran again," he said. "But he is not a dictator. He is the legitimate president of Ukraine. He was democratically elected, and he continues his term because we have martial law and we are at war."

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, "What the war criminal Putin is doing, this KGB agent is just playing with everyone, he is bluffing, but his bluff is working." The two-time Ukrainian Prime Minister is now committed to strengthening the country's security relationship with countries around the world. "We cannot fall into Russia's trap, Russia's trap is just a temporary ceasefire, that's Russia's script, holding so-called elections after the ceasefire, which will completely destabilize Ukraine," he said. He believes that Kyiv must quickly reverse its relationship with Washington. "The reality is that we are now marginalized, we are not at the negotiating table," he said. "There is no other option than to go to Washington, D.C. or Brussels or Kyiv and establish a cooperation model between the United States, Ukraine, and the European Union. There is no other option."

Yatsenyuk added, "I believe we must sign a memorandum of understanding with the US government. These types of decisions take time and great effort." European leaders were shocked by Trump's rapid shift in Washington's foreign policy, from supporting Ukraine to supporting Russia. But for those in Kyiv who are closely watching the situation, they were not surprised at all. "I see a group of people shocked by what President Trump is saying, I am not, you know why, a leopard doesn't change its spots," Yatsenyuk said. "He said everything during the campaign. He was very outspoken, so what's the news? That's his policy, so it's largely predictable. So, instead of crying over spilled milk, let's produce milk, let's milk it, let's do our job."

In addition to security guarantees from the United States, Ukraine is also eager to join NATO to strengthen its European protection in case of another Russian invasion. This is a reasonable assumption, as that is exactly what Moscow did in 2022, eight years after they annexed Crimea. "A comprehensive peace agreement means Ukraine receiving rock-solid security guarantees, including long-term security assistance programs and economic support for the Ukrainian budget, as well as peacekeepers," Yatsenyuk said. Ukrainian political activists are working overtime to secure a seat at the negotiating table, or at least have their conditions considered. Now more than ever, it is important to present a united front to US negotiators and the world, which is crucial for any possible peace agreement.

As the global world order shifts, and those in power argue about how to achieve peace, those Ukrainians who have lost loved ones have not forgotten the sacrifices that have been made. Unless a peace agreement can be reached, more people will be memorialized in Kyiv's Independence Square.