The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the country will not agree to any peace deal proposed by the US and Russia without its involvement.

This came after United State President Donald Trump and Russia Vladimir Putin pledged to begin talks to end the war.   Trump disclosed of a “good possibility” of ending the war after he and Putin spoke by phone.

“We cannot accept it, as an independent country,” Zelensky said.

The U.S. president suggested that Russian representatives will meet Americans on Friday in Munich, which is hosting a security conference.

“Russia is going to be there with our people, Ukraine is also invited, by the way. Not sure exactly who’s going to be there from any country but high-level people from Russia, from Ukraine and from the United States.

“I’d love to have them [the Russians] back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it’s not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia.” Trump had stated

Zelensky adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters that “talks with Russians in Munich” were “not expected”, however Zelensky is to meet Trump’s Vice-President, JD Vance, in the German city on Friday.

The Ukrainian leader, who also had an individual call with Trump on Wednesday, said his country could not accept “any agreements [made] without us”.

“Europeans needed to be at the negotiating table too,” he said, and he told Trump his priority was “security guarantees”, something he did not see without US support.

“I also warned world leaders against trusting Putin’s claims of readiness to end the war,” he added.

BBC reported that Ukraine’s European allies also rejected any move towards a forced settlement on Kyiv:

• UK Defence Secretary John Healey said there could be “no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine, and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks”
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected a “dictated peace” and his defence minister said it was “regrettable” Washington was already making “concessions” to the Kremlin.
• EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Washington of “appeasement” towards Russia. “We shouldn’t take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started because it plays to Russia’s court and it is what they want,” she said.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in the Oval Office, president Trump said Putin wanted the war to end and he expected a ceasefire soon.

When asked if Ukraine was an equal member in the peace process, he said: “They have to make peace.”

His Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a press conference at a Nato summit on Thursday that peace negotiations would be “had with both” Putin and Zelensky” and he described Trump as the “perfect dealmaker”.

Hegseth, who on Wednesday said it was “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine to return to pre-2014 border and downplayed the prospect of Ukraine joining Nato, appeared to row back on his remarks, saying “everything was on the table” and the conversations were being led by the president.