Defiant and unrepentant: My meeting with Zelenskyy, writes Andrew Marr

2 March 2025, 21:52 | Updated: 3 March 2025, 07:16

By Andrew Marr

@AndrewMarr9

No apology. No “concessions of any kind” on territory. No contact with Donald Trump since the catastrophic White House meeting. And no ceasefire without security guarantees that would have to involve the United States.

Talking to LBC last night, Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy was defiant and unrepentant about his row with Mr Trump, saying that he would only return when there was the chance of constructive and positive dialogue with him.

The war, he suggested, would only end with much tougher sanctions against Russia – Putin would not pull back until his missiles were not capable of being fired and he could not finance his social programs because he was only afraid of internal unrest.

The much discussed minerals deal with the United States was now ready to be signed and it could be; but beyond that there was no flicker of an indication that the Ukrainian leader was ready to make a hurried deal for peace.

Though he refused to comment directly on the new British-French proposal for a one month truce, President Zelenskyy was withering about the idea of a ceasefire which in the past, he said, had resulted in Russian snipers murdering Ukrainians as target practice – this time, without a full security guarantee, it would be worse still. A ceasefire would be a trap.

Almost wistfully, President Zelenskyy said he would really like President Trump “to hear some things from me personally and in the same vein  I would like to hear from him personally“.

Confronted by remarks by senior American politicians who have called for him to resign, he said “to change me will not be easy“ since even if Ukraine held elections “you would have to prevent me from taking part” and he would stand down only when Ukraine was allowed to join NATO. 

In short, the Ukrainian leader was eloquent and passionate in support of his country but did not give an inch in terms of being ready to pursue any kind of new deal.

His words make the prospect of peace seem even further away.

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