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Ukraine's defiant president has insisted his country will not be forced into surrendering land to Moscow – declaring 'will we lose? Of course not' as he marked four years since Russia's full-scale invasion.
Speaking to the BBC in Kyiv at the weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky struck a tone of unwavering resistance, dismissing claims that Ukraine must concede territory to secure peace and warning that Vladimir Putin has already ignited a global conflict.
'I believe that Putin has already started it,' he said, referring to World War Three. 'The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him... Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves.'
Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine formally hand over swathes of territory in the east and south, including areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – regions that have been battered by some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
But Zelensky rejected the idea that surrendering land would be a price worth paying for a ceasefire.
'I see this differently. I don't look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment - weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this 'withdrawal' would divide our society.'
He argued that any deal satisfying the Kremlin would only be temporary. Putin, he said, 'would probably satisfy him for a while... he needs a pause... but once he recovers' the war would resume. In his view, Russia could rebuild its strength within a couple of years.
Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed claims that Ukraine must concede territory to secure peace
The United States has been pushing for an end to the nearly four-year war, but has so far failed to broker a compromise between Moscow and Kyiv
Servicemen from the strike drone platoon at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine formally hand over swathes of territory in the east and south, including areas of Donetsk
'Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue [the war] is a fact.'
Some Western officials and analysts believe Ukraine cannot reclaim all occupied territory and that concessions are inevitable. US President Donald Trump has previously suggested territorial compromise could unlock a ceasefire.
But Zelensky remains undeterred: 'Will we lose? Of course not, because we are fighting for Ukraine's independence.'
Victory, he argued, is not just about battlefield lines but about preventing a wider catastrophe.
'I believe that stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world. Because Putin will not stop at Ukraine.'
While he maintained that Ukraine would ultimately restore its internationally recognised borders, he acknowledged the brutal cost of trying to do so immediately.
'We'll do it. That is absolutely clear. It is only a matter of time… What is land without people? Honestly, nothing.'
Relations with Washington have been strained since Zelensky's fraught visit to the White House last year, when a heated public exchange with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance signalled a sharp shift from the staunch backing offered under Joe Biden.
Although US military shipments have been curtailed, Kyiv still relies heavily on American intelligence and weapons funded by European allies.
Defence Secretary John Healey speaks with troops in Norway earlier this month
Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment around their Jackal vehicles on the Tapa range in Estonia where British soldiers are taking part in Exercise Winter Camp
It comes as US-mediated peace talks on Ukraine collapsed in less than two hours last week after Zelensky claimed it was unfair that Donald Trump was placing more pressure on his country than on Russia.
The second day of talks concluded last Wednesday, though neither side signalled they were any closer to ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
The talks wrapped up after just two hours, much shorter than the six hours of meetings on Tuesday, according to the head of Russia's delegation.
Neither side elaborated on what they discussed or whether they had agreed on anything, but both signalled the discussions had been tricky.
Trump put pressure on Ukraine to make a deal, saying they 'better come to the table, fast'.
But Zelensky told Axios that it was 'not fair' that Ukraine - and not Russia - was facing more pressure, adding that lasting peace would not be achieved if 'victory' was just handed to Moscow.
'I hope it is just his tactics and not the decision,' Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader said later he was ready to move 'quickly' towards a deal but questioned whether Russia was serious about peace.
Russia is pushing for full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal, and has threatened to take it by force
US-mediated peace talks on Ukraine take place in Geneva in February
He stressed that any long-term security guarantees from Washington must be enshrined through US institutions rather than dependent on a single leader. 'Congress is needed,' he said, arguing that while presidents change, institutions endure.
Under martial law, elections scheduled for 2024 were postponed. Moscow has repeatedly branded Zelensky illegitimate – a line that has found echoes in some American political circles.
The Ukrainian leader said he has yet to decide whether he would run again: 'I might run and might not.'
However, he suggested elections could be organised if it were genuinely required to end the war and if Ukraine first secured binding security guarantees.
'If this is a condition for ending the war, let's do it,' he said, before challenging critics to be honest about their intentions. 'You need to decide one thing: you want to get rid of me or you want to hold elections? … Hold them in a way that the Ukrainian people will recognise.'
Four years into Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War, Zelensky's message remains unchanged: no retreat, no capitulation – and no belief that appeasing the Kremlin would bring lasting peace.
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