Zelensky criticizes West for not breaking all ties with Russia

Ukraine’s leader claimed that Western intelligence has maintained contacts with Moscow throughout the conflict

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has criticized the West for maintaining intelligence-level contacts with Russia through all three years of the Ukraine conflict, claiming that these interactions were extensive and frequent.

His remarks came at the International Media Council at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday in response to a question about US President Donald Trump’s team preparing 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.

He also noted that he was not involved in these communications and stressed that he did not support them, acknowledging at the same time that each country has its 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 stressed that Ukraine should be prioritized because it is an “ally of the United States.”

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During the same interview, the Ukrainian leader also stressed that Kiev would not agree to a compromise entailing recognition of Russia’s new territories even if “all the allies of the world united” in demanding this.

He also insisted that any potential dialogue with Russia should only be held from a position of strength, claiming that any attempts to speak on an equal footing with Moscow would constitute defeat for Ukraine.

Last week, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga confirmed in an interview with European Pravda that Kiev is maintaining its moratorium, which it introduced two years ago, on direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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.