The former Ukrainian president has issued a warning to anyone who enters into negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin – the Russian cannot be trusted, and he must be approached from a position of strength, reports Politico.
In an interview with Politico, Petro Poroshenko expressed concern that the current US-led negotiations on ending Russian aggression in Ukraine are not taking this into account. Poroshenko’s statements are guided by his own experience after the Minsk agreements in 2014 and 2015. They were concluded to freeze the conflict in Donbas, and the agreement was signed by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, and Ukrainian separatists, but the agreements were short-lived.
Poroshenko, who is currently preoccupied with peace talks, was the first Ukrainian president to be elected since the 2013-2014 Euromaidan uprising that ousted Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovych. Poroshenko leads Ukraine’s main opposition party and believes his rival, current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, made a mistake by allowing himself to be dragged into talks that did not involve Europeans, and that Zelensky should have insisted on an immediate ceasefire.
Poroshenko, the leader of the European Solidarity Party, said that despite the disastrous Oval Office meeting in February 2025, Zelensky should have simply demanded a ceasefire. “He doesn’t understand Putin and he doesn’t understand Trump. And we have another problem: Trump doesn’t understand Putin. And that’s a global tragedy, and not just for Ukraine,” he said. He pointed out that Trump thinks that Putin is bargaining with him and trying to get better terms. However, this is not true; when Putin is not bargaining, he simply wants to restore the Soviet Union, to restore the Russian empire. Poroshenko noted that he has no doubt about it, and
Putin dreams of a place in the history books, and he is not worried about the cost of lost lives – neither Russian nor Ukrainian.
Poroshenko also believes that the Russian dictator does not really care much about gaining additional territory in eastern Ukraine, which his army has not been able to occupy and which he demands to be returned to Moscow in order to conclude a peace treaty. Putin is simply using this demand as a lever to undermine Ukraine’s internal political stability and state unity, since any issue of returning the territory would have to be decided in a referendum that would divide Ukrainians. Poroshenko added that this is exactly the scenario planned by Russia: “Remember, Putin is a KGB officer. He’s a specialist in this kind of thing.”
During the 2019 election campaign, Zelensky used the signing of the Minsk agreements, which were very unpopular and which Russia never implemented, against Poroshenko. The former president defended what happened in Minsk. He pointed out that he gave very little, and much less than the Russian dictator demanded. Poroshenko also said that the agreements signed in Minsk gave five years to strengthen the Ukrainian state, church and army, and it was these five years that gave Ukrainians the opportunity to withstand a full-scale invasion and prevent defeat.
Poroshenko stressed that Europeans should follow the call of French President Emmanuel Macron to directly engage in negotiations. This would give momentum, but such action also requires support from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Ukrainian politician said that Europe has every right to be at the peace table, because it is currently financially supporting Ukraine.
At the same time, it will not be possible to conclude peace without American participation.
The Ukrainian believes that the US president will still have to cross some red lines in order to guarantee security in the post-war situation. This also means foreign armed forces in Ukraine, and they must be US forces, otherwise Russia will resume aggression.
Despite the common desire for peace, Zelensky and Poroshenko are not on friendly terms. The two stayed in the same hotel during the Munich Security Conference, but their paths did not cross. Poroshenko said that over the past seven years he had spoken with Zelensky only three times, and the last time was more than a year ago. At that time, the two discussed Zelensky’s plan for victory, and Poroshenko said that Zelensky did not need to worry – he would be supported as commander-in-chief.
After Zelensky’s victory in the presidential election, the prosecutor’s office appointed by him brought charges against Poroshenko and began legal proceedings, including on charges of treason, conspiracy and corruption. Poroshenko said the charges were fabricated and that he was confident that the Supreme Court of Ukraine would acquit him on the 6th of March.
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