Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would not allow a peace agreement that would give an advantage to Russia, rejecting the possibility of signing any treaty in Munich, the BBC reports.
"I do not want to go down in history as the man who helped Putin occupy my country," Zelensky said during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
The Ukrainian president stressed that Europe must play a key role in diplomatic efforts to end the war. He categorically rejected the idea of signing a peace agreement in Munich, drawing a parallel with the 1938 Munich Agreement, which led to the annexation of the Sudetenland by Nazi Germany.
"We all remember what was signed here," Zelensky said, making a direct historical reference to the failed policies of appeasement that ultimately led to World War II.
Zelensky also commented on the proposal for a strategic partnership with the United States on rare earth metals, which is expected to strengthen technological cooperation between Washington and Kiev.
According to him, Ukrainian lawyers are still studying the text of the document, after which Ukraine will offer its own version to Washington. Although Zelensky expressed his willingness to meet with US Vice President J.D. Vance during the forum, he is not ready to sign the memorandum at this stage.
The Ukrainian president revealed details of a recent phone call with US President Donald Trump, in which Trump told him that Vladimir Putin wanted to end the war.
However, Zelensky expressed deep distrust of the Russian president, stating that he "does not trust Putin and considers him a liar".
Furthermore, Zelensky said that Ukraine must build an army of 1.5 million servicemen to guarantee its national security, regardless of the future of its NATO membership.
"If we are not in NATO, or until we are in NATO, we must have an army that can defend itself. This means NATO weapons and the necessary number of soldiers - ours, Ukrainian. But what should this number be? "I'm telling you specific figures that we are discussing with the military - an army of 1.5 million people," Zelensky said.
He stressed that "today's America and President Trump are not ready to talk" about Ukraine joining NATO and that, according to Washington, Ukraine cannot become part of the Alliance, as this would lead to an escalation with Russia.