Zelensky Rejects Trump’s Position as He Refuses Two of Putin’s Demands

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has drawn two major “red lines” that he refuses to cross in any future peace deal—one of which directly contradicts the position of the Trump administration, Max Parry reported for the Daily Express.

Kyiv will not accept restrictions on the size of its military or limitations on its ability to join political alliances, including NATO. I Photo: Володимир Зеленський Facebook

During the latest peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine’s delegation made it clear to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Kyiv would not accept restrictions on the size of its military or limitations on its ability to join political alliances, including NATO.

Sources close to the meeting told European Pravda that the latter stance directly opposes the U.S. position.

In February, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that he “does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”

“For Ukraine, there are red lines—including that there can be no restrictions on the size of its defense forces and no prohibitions on Ukraine’s participation in international organizations, including the European Union (EU) and NATO,” a source said.

Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, reinforced this stance, asserting that “Russia must not have a veto” over Ukraine’s decisions.