Trump Claims Talks With Russia, Zelenskyy Asks for Security Guarantees

MOSCOW, MONDAY – Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (PBB), Vasily Nebenzya, stated on Sunday (2/9/2025) that Russia is waiting for the right signal from the United States to establish relations regarding the war in Ukraine. This statement was made by Nebenzya shortly before United States President Donald Trump announced that his side was making further progress in dialogue with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine.

When speaking to reporters aboard the presidential aircraft Air Force One, Trump said he believed the US was making progress in negotiations to end the Ukraine-Russia war. On that occasion, he indicated that he had established contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If that is true, the conversation between Trump and Putin would be the first officially acknowledged since early 2022. Trump did not provide further details about his communication with Putin.

Separately, Nebenzya told the Russian news agency, RIA, that Russia is ready to negotiate with the US on Ukraine on an equal footing. "We are open to dialogue, but on a balanced position and safeguarding Russia's interests. We are waiting for the right signals from the United States," said Nebenzya.

Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine, but has not yet explained the steps that will be taken. Trump revealed that last week he had contacted Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict, without providing details of the discussions with the two countries.

During the flight on the presidential aircraft Air Force One, Trump stated that he would rather not disclose how many times he has communicated with the Russian President. He also did not reveal when his latest communication with Putin took place.

"I have already done it (communication with Russia). I can simply say, (communication) I have already done it... And I hope to have more talks. We have to end that war," said Trump.

"How we talk, I don't want to tell you about that conversation," Trump told reporters. "I truly believe we are making progress. We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war."

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could neither confirm nor deny Trump's remarks.

In a statement to RIA, Nebenzya said that his relations with the US delegation to the UN were good. However, he added that the US delegation to the UN Security Council under Joe Biden was the worst and violated various UN procedures.

Nebenzya stated that he was ready to cooperate with the US delegation at the UN even though the US often politicized the diplomatic steps being taken.

Zelenskyy reminded Donald Trump not only to stop the war, but also to act so that in the future Putin does not strike back.

Responding to the developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in order to establish peace with Russia there must be a guarantee that there will be no more Russian attacks on Ukraine.

"Don't just freeze the conflict temporarily, which will only create new aggression that will always be repeated. Nobody wins in such conditions. It is a defeat for everyone, for us, and also for Donald Trump," Zelenskyy told British TV station ITV.

Zelenskyy warned Trump not only to stop the war, but he must also act so that Putin does not strike again in the future. "This is the most important thing that everyone must understand. If it happens, that is a real victory," Zelenskyy said.

He reiterated his openness to dialogue with Russia to end the war on condition that the United States and the European Union are involved in the negotiations.

“I am confident that the United States and Europe will not abandon us and will support us for security guarantees. I am ready to negotiate in such a format. With security guarantees, we will talk about ending the hot phase of the war. We must understand how this war will end and we are on the side of the United States and Europe,” Zelenskyy said.

He accused Putin of not wanting the war to end. “It is impossible to reach out and communicate with him in this condition. We need security guarantees and to understand that anyone who attacks Ukraine and seizes our land will be punished,” Zelenskyy said.

In the ITV interview, Zelenskyy reiterated that he ruled out holding elections in Ukraine before the war ends. Holding elections would require Zelenskyy to lift the state of emergency, which could endanger Ukraine. Russia is demanding that peace talks be held with the newly elected Ukrainian government.

"We will have to suspend the state of emergency if we hold elections. That means we will weaken the military. Russia will benefit from this situation, which will lead to our defeat," Zelenskyy said.

Last week, Zelenskyy told Reuters news agency that his country was willing to supply the United States with rare earth metals, which are critical to industry and information technology, in exchange for military support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials also conveyed similar ideas to President Trump's Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

Trump said Friday he planned to meet Zelenskyy next week to end the war. Zelenskyy said he and the U.S. were planning talks, but did not confirm plans to meet with Trump.

Currently, Ukraine is under pressure on the eastern front, especially in the Donetsk region bordering Dnipropetrovsk. The Dnipropetrovsk region is the central part of Ukraine crossed by the Dnipro River, which divides western and eastern Ukraine.

At the same time, Ukraine still occupies part of the Russian territory of Kursk which was invaded in August 2024.

Currently, Russian forces are occupying Toretsk, an industrial city and one of the largest ethnic Russian settlements occupied after Avdivka was captured in February 2024 in Donetsk. Toretsk is located on high ground, giving Russia a strategic advantage over Ukraine's logistics routes. Toretsk was a center of the coal industry before the war.

Galyna Poroshyna, a former Toretsk resident, said that nothing was left of the city of Toretsk. “Everything was destroyed there,” she said.

(AFP/Reuters)