President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday (Nov. 10) that Russian negotiators had made false claims about control of Ukrainian territory in Donbas, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to be operating in a different reality as Washington tried to negotiate an end to the war.
Speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen following meetings with Nordic leaders, Zelensky said Russian military and intelligence officials claimed to control about half of the Donbas territory that remains under Ukrainian control.
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According to Zelensky, Ukrainian negotiators were stunned by these claims and challenged the Russian delegation with video and photographic evidence.
“It’s not like, you know, one village,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that the disputed claims covered a substantial area.
He said Russian representatives seriously defended their version of the situation on the battlefield, despite the evidence presented by Ukraine.
“I think Putin lives a little bit in different information. It’s (a) different reality,” Zelensky said.
The president suggested that Putin was also telling U.S. negotiators that Russia could seize the remaining territories in eastern Ukraine within months.
“Look, I need one, two, three months, and we will completely occupy the eastern part of Ukraine,” Zelensky said, describing what he thought Putin was communicating to Washington.
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Wednesday’s round in Abu Dhabi is expected to focus on de-escalation, energy, the Black Sea and a possible leaders’ meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“But that’s not true. That’s not reality.”
Zelensky said U.S. representatives confirmed Ukraine’s assessment of the situation on the battlefield, which he called an important development in the negotiations.
Zelensky ready to meet Putin and rejects Russian territorial demands
Despite the disagreements, Zelensky said he was ready to discuss territorial issues directly with Putin, with the mediation of the United States and Europe.
“That’s why we’re willing to sit down and talk about territory,” he said.
He argued that such negotiations should take place at the level of national leaders because they require a clear understanding of actual territorial control.
“I know everything, and I think the Russian leader must know everything, where we stand,” Zelensky said.
Rejecting Moscow’s demands to withdraw from Ukraine, he added:
“He said we had to leave here. I don’t understand why, because it’s our land.”
Zelensky also cited Kherson, divided by the Dnipro River, as an example of the complexity of territorial negotiations.
“On one bank there are Russians, on another we control everything. But people want to live on both banks, and this is a Ukrainian city,” he said.
“Such issues are sensitive. Yes, they are very difficult, but they need to be talked about.”
Zelensky said Ukraine would raise the possibility of a meeting between the leaders during the next round of negotiations on Wednesday (November 11).
“I’m not sure Russia is ready, but we will discuss this topic.”
“We need more pressure, less business with these guys”
Zelensky also questioned Washington’s approach to Russia, arguing that increased trade engagement or possible lifting of sanctions would be less effective than increased economic pressure on Moscow.
“We don’t have confidence, but we hope. We cannot live without hope,” Zelensky said when asked if the latest negotiations could produce better results than previous rounds.
He stressed that Ukraine supports diplomacy but believes that Russia is still not under enough pressure.
“We need more pressure on Russia, it’s true,” he said.
“I think we need more pressure, less business with these guys, and it will be more helpful.”
Zelensky nevertheless defended the decision to resume negotiations, saying that even a prisoner exchange would represent significant progress.
“Even if the result is an exchange, it is a success. People will go home,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky warns of Putin’s demands for European security
Zelensky also expressed concern over discussions between Washington and Moscow on a new European security architecture, warning that the move could revive demands put forward by Putin to then-US President Joe Biden in 2021.
He said Ukraine and its Nordic allies remained cautious because details of U.S.-Russian talks had not been shared.
“No one really understands 100% what they want,” Zelensky said.
“No one saw the documents, what they discussed, I mean the Americans with the Russians.”
He suggested that the current proposals resemble Putin’s previous attempts to reshape the European security order.
“In my opinion, and I stand by my version, this is the same idea that Putin tried to raise with President Biden in 2021 about the change of architecture,” he said.
Zelensky insisted that negotiations must follow a clear sequence: first ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, then establishing security guarantees for kyiv, and only then considering broader European security arrangements.
“This sequence is very, very important,” he said.
He also expressed hope that the US Congress would play a more decisive role in supporting Ukraine, including ensuring long-term US security guarantees.
“I am not God” – Zelensky rejects forgiveness without accountability
Asked if he could forgive Putin and how Ukrainians and Russians could possibly reconcile, Zelensky rejected the idea that reconciliation could be a substitute for justice.
“No, of course not,” he replied when asked about forgiveness.
“They didn’t kill an abstract number, but a very concrete number of people in very concrete cities, and they created a lot of tragedies with concrete lives… I’m just a human being. I’m not God.”
He insisted that those responsible for killings and other atrocities must be identified and held accountable through legal processes.
“They have to answer,” he said, adding that courts and judges must determine responsibility.
“We did not start this war,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that Ukraine’s demand remains unchanged: Russia must end its aggression, stop the war and seek a diplomatic solution.
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