Zelensky criticizes West for not breaking all ties with Russia
Ukraine’s leader has claimed that Western intelligence agencies have maintained contacts with Moscow throughout the conflict
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has criticized the West for maintaining extensive and frequent intelligence-level contacts with Moscow throughout the three years of his country’s conflict with Russia.
Zelensky made the remarks during the International Media Council at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, in response to a question about preparations by US President Donald Trump’s team for a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
“We know that at the intelligence level, the United States and Russia had contacts throughout the three years of the war. They had many different contacts. And, to be honest, the Europeans had many, too,” Zelensky told the attendees. He stated that he was not consulted on the matter but recalled previous conversations in which Trump’s team mentioned efforts to establish contact with Moscow.
The Ukrainian leader, whose presidential mandate expired in 2024, was not involved in the communications and stressed that he did not support them, acknowledging at the same time that each country has sovereignty in such matters.
Zelensky argued that diplomatic isolation should be used like sanctions and warned that continuous intelligence exchanges could benefit Moscow. “If the leaders don’t talk, but the intelligence services constantly talk, then in principle, this may suit the Russian side,” he said.
Zelensky added that while Trump’s plans to contact Putin do not “surprise” him, he claimed that Ukraine should be prioritized because it is an “ally of the United States.”
He also stressed that Kiev would not agree to any compromise entailing Western recognition of Russia’s new territories, even if “all the allies of the world united” to demand it.
Any potential dialogue with Russia should only be held from a position of strength, Zelensky insisted, claiming that any attempts to speak on an equal footing with Moscow would constitute defeat for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga confirmed last week in an interview with European Pravda that Kiev’s outright ban on negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, introduced two years ago, remains in place.
Moscow, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that it is open to talks on Ukraine, provided that they take into account the new territorial “realities on the ground” and address the root issues of the conflict.
