‘We Don’t Want Yalta 2.0’: Zelensky Warns Trump’s Russia-Europe Security Deal Could Be ‘Dangerous’

The proposed agreement is a broad security framework involving Russia, the United States, and potentially every European country. Trump said it would involve more than Ukraine and might cover all of Europe. Jared Kushner said Washington was developing the framework before US-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi.

Zelensky learned about the proposal during a call with Kushner and Steve Witkoff. He warned that a deal shaped without Ukraine and Europe could recreate a system where powerful states decide smaller countries’ futures. He called that risk “Yalta 2.0.”

Zelensky wants the immediate priority to be ending Russia’s war. After that, he says Ukraine needs security guarantees. Only then, he argues, should broader arrangements between Europe and Moscow be considered. He also rejected territorial concessions and warned that the plan could pose an especially serious threat to the European Union.

The Yalta Conference was a 1945 meeting where Allied leaders discussed Europe’s postwar order. In Zelensky’s comparison, its importance is not only the date or location. It represents a moment when major powers discussed the future political arrangement of Europe.

Zelensky uses “Yalta 2.0” as a warning about repeating that kind of great-power decision-making. Trump said a proposed security agreement could cover more than Ukraine, possibly all of Europe. Zelensky fears Russia and the United States could determine Europe’s security structure while other countries have limited influence.

That comparison matters because Zelensky wants Ukraine and European countries directly involved. He says negotiations should first end Russia’s war, then establish security guarantees for Ukraine. Only afterward should wider arrangements between Europe and Moscow be considered. His central concern is that Europe could again be divided rather than allowed to shape its own security.

The proposed agreement could be much larger than a settlement limited to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Trump said it would involve more than Ukraine and might even involve all of Europe. The article does not provide a full map or list of participating countries, but the stated scope is continental.

The mechanism would be a broader security framework developed by Washington alongside talks involving Russia and Ukraine. Jared Kushner said the framework was being prepared before US-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. That links the immediate war to a much wider European security discussion.

Such a scale would affect countries beyond the battlefield. Zelensky warned that Russia should not help reshape European security while continuing its war. He also said the plan could threaten the European Union, while Ukraine remains outside both the EU and NATO. The size of the proposal therefore raises questions about representation and guarantees.

If Russia and the United States divided Europe without full participation from Ukraine and European countries, those countries could lose influence over decisions affecting their own security. Zelensky described this danger as a return to spheres of influence. He said Europe should not be divided by Russia.

The proposed framework could cover all of Europe, yet Zelensky learned about it through a call with US officials. He argued that Russia should not help reshape European security while showing no willingness to stop fighting. European officials also rejected proposals made without their participation. Kaja Kallas said Putin had no veto over European security.

The likely political consequence, based on the warnings in the article, would be weaker European agency and deeper division. Ukraine could face security decisions while remaining outside the EU and NATO. For that reason, Zelensky and Ukrainian officials insist that Ukraine and Europe must be part of any settlement and broader security arrangement.

Zelensky sees ending the war as the necessary first step. He argues that it is difficult and dangerous to redesign European security while Russia is still attacking Ukraine. In his view, a broader agreement could distract from the urgent task of stopping the fighting and protecting Ukrainians.

He said Ukraine would support a full ceasefire or narrower pauses covering energy infrastructure or maritime operations. However, he said Moscow had offered no meaningful signs of readiness. That lack of commitment is why he questions Russia’s role in reshaping Europe’s security arrangements.

Zelensky’s preferred sequence is clear: end Russia’s war, secure guarantees for Ukraine, and only then discuss wider arrangements between Europe and Moscow. He also wants sovereignty and territorial integrity preserved, rejecting any settlement that requires Ukraine to leave Donbas. The proposed Abu Dhabi talks were intended to address the war, while the broader framework remained under discussion.

Sovereignty means a country has the highest authority over its government and political choices. Territorial integrity means its territory and borders should remain intact. Together, these principles mean Ukraine should decide its future and retain its land rather than surrender either through pressure or force.

The dispute is especially sharp over Donbas. Zelensky said Ukraine was not ready to leave the region or give away its territory. He argued that land under Russian occupation remains Ukrainian because it is only temporarily occupied. He also said nobody would recognize it as Russian territory.

For Zelensky, these principles must guide any agreement. A ceasefire that ignored them could freeze occupation or turn military control into accepted ownership. He therefore rejects territorial concessions and says negotiations must protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The disagreement over Donbas is not only about land; it is also about which state has the legal and political right to govern it.

NATO and the European Union are different organizations. NATO is primarily a collective military and security alliance. The European Union is a political and economic union that coordinates member countries’ policies and institutions. Membership in one does not automatically mean membership in the other.

The article highlights that Ukraine is geographically European but remains outside both the EU and NATO. That matters because Ukraine is not represented as a member in either organization’s internal decisions. It also means Ukraine cannot assume that membership-based protections will settle the security question under discussion.

Zelensky therefore insists on specific security guarantees for Ukraine after the war ends. He wants those guarantees addressed before any broader arrangement between Europe and Moscow. The distinction also explains his concern about a framework designed by larger powers. If Ukraine is outside both organizations, excluding it from negotiations could leave its security and territory decided without its full participation.