Ukraine ‘will not play' with narratives over it not wanting to end war: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that his country “will not play” with narratives over Kyiv allegedly not wanting to end the ongoing war with Russia.

“I have emphasized repeatedly that none of us believes the Russians, we have been through this, but we will not play with narratives that we do not want the war to end,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainian media outlets.

On Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia should Moscow also abide by it, Zelenskyy said it is important for him that Kyiv's NATO partners see that he is serious about ending the war.

“Therefore, my reaction was, we are ready for the format of silence for 30 days in the format that the American side offered us,” he added.

He also said that it is too early to talk about further sanctions on Russia if it violates the ceasefire, adding that things will depend on the US through dialogue with Moscow.

“If the Russians demonstrate that they are ready for America's offer, then I think there will be appropriate solutions, and if they are not ready, we really hope that the American side will demonstrate exactly what it said,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv will not recognize Russia's control over territories it is holding in Ukraine, defining it as "the most important red line."

He also argued that talks between Ukraine and the US in the Saudi city of Jeddah breaks Russia's alleged plans to worsen relations between Kyiv and Washington.

He said the subject of security guarantees for Ukraine was discussed in Saudi Arabia, and that he considered everything in the joint statement released after the negotiations to be “positive signals.”

He added that they will talk about security guarantees in more detail if a ceasefire is implemented.

Commenting on elections, Zelenskyy said polls will be held in Ukraine in accordance with legislation once martial law is lifted, which he said will be done once the conflict ends.