President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Friday that Ukraine is “definitely not losing” its war against Russia, while a Wall Street Journal correspondent recounted in a podcast interview that the Ukrainian leader had privately told his closest advisers to prepare for another three years of fighting.
Taken together, Zelensky’s public remarks and the journalist’s account of closed-door discussions suggest that Kyiv is preparing for a prolonged conflict, with negotiations still stalled over territory and security guarantees nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
“We’re definitely not losing it”
In an interview with AFP, Zelensky rejected suggestions that Ukraine is on the brink of defeat.
“You can’t say that we’re losing the war. Honestly, we’re definitely not losing it, definitely. The question is whether we will win,” he said. “That is the question – but it’s a very costly question.”
The 48-year-old president acknowledged the mounting strain of Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, as Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during a punishing winter.
He also described the diplomatic pressure surrounding the Donbas, the eastern region comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
“Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbas,” Zelensky said.
At the same time, he pointed to battlefield resilience. “Today I can congratulate our army first and foremost – all the defense forces – because as of today, 300 square kilometres have been liberated,” he said of gains along the southern front. AFP noted it was unable to independently verify the claim.
On security guarantees, Zelensky reiterated that any post-ceasefire European troop deployment should be positioned close to the front line. “We would like to see the contingent closer to the front line,” he said, adding that Ukrainians would want partners “to stand with us on the front line.”
Zelensky, who was elected in 2019 and whose five-year term formally expired in May 2024, dismissed calls for wartime elections. “Let’s be honest – the Russians just want to replace me,” Zelensky said. “No one wants elections during a war. Everyone is afraid of its destructive effect.”
“The negotiations have basically failed”
While Zelensky projected determination publicly, Bojan Pancevski, chief European political correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, described a far bleaker message delivered behind closed doors.
Speaking on a German podcast hosted by journalist Paul Ronzheimer, Pancevski said Zelensky convened his “private cabinet” – his closest advisers inside the Presidential Office – a day before departing for the Munich Security Conference last week.
“At this meeting he told his closest people that the negotiations had basically failed and that they now need to work out a plan for another three years of war,” Pancevski said. “He said that explicitly.”
Citing three sources from Zelensky’s inner circle, Pancevski noted those present were “totally shocked,” adding that “no one wants three more years of war.”
Until that moment, he said, the team had been preparing for a different trajectory: organizing elections and potentially a referendum in late spring or early summer to present any negotiated settlement to voters.
“Now suddenly Zelensky turns 180 degrees internally and says: this is all nonsense and we have to prepare for a long war,” Pancevski said.
Guarantees, Congress and mistrust
Pancevski said Zelensky had indicated he might consider territorial compromise only if backed by strong, legally binding security guarantees – particularly from the United States.
He described US assurances so far as largely verbal. “He wants guarantees that pass through Congress,” Pancevski said, arguing that Zelensky seeks commitments with the force of law rather than political promises.
Inside Western coordination, Pancevski described what he called an unusual structure in which Washington was treated as a separate actor rather than folded into NATO alongside its European allies.
“In these tables, there were three columns: USA, NATO and Ukraine,” he said, adding that at least at one stage, American contributions had not been formally written down, only conveyed verbally.
From Moscow’s side, Pancevski said Russian officials have signaled they would reject any agreement permitting Western or NATO troops to be stationed on Ukrainian soil.
Pressure from Washington
Zelensky has publicly pushed back against what he sees as uneven pressure.
In remarks to Axios previously reported by Kyiv Post, he described it as “not fair” that US President Donald Trump had publicly urged Ukraine, rather than Russia, to make concessions. While acknowledging Trump’s peacemaking efforts, Zelensky warned against presenting Ukrainians with what they would view as an “unsuccessful story” of peace and stressed that lasting stability cannot be achieved by “giving victory” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pancevski also pointed to domestic US politics as a factor shaping the White House’s approach. He speculated that legally binding guarantees could expose Trump to criticism ahead of midterm elections, particularly given the president’s campaign pledges to avoid new foreign entanglements.
At the same time, he argued that US sanctions remain potent. Even a social media post threatening measures against major Russian energy firms such as Rosneft and Lukoil, he said, prompted immediate reactions from international companies seeking to avoid secondary sanctions.
Divisions in Kyiv
Pancevski also described what he said were internal divisions within Ukraine’s political leadership over how to approach the negotiations. According to him, one camp – associated with Kyrylo Budanov, the former intelligence chief now serving in a senior role within the Presidential Office – has been viewed as more open to exploring a deal under certain conditions. Another grouping, linked to Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s former chief of staff, has been characterized as more skeptical of the current diplomatic track.
Although Yermak was formally dismissed, Pancevski said he remains influential within Zelensky’s inner circle and continues to shape discussions from behind the scenes. He added that several European officials had privately expressed relief at Yermak’s removal, describing him as a difficult interlocutor during earlier phases of the talks.
The internal dynamic, as Pancevski portrayed it, reflects broader uncertainty in Kyiv about whether the current negotiations offer a viable path to peace – or risk locking Ukraine into concessions without durable security guarantees.
A war of attrition
Militarily, Pancevski portrayed the front line as largely static despite heavy casualties on both sides. Russian forces, he said, have mobilized manpower and equipment but have struggled to achieve decisive breakthroughs.
The greater danger, in his view, lies in the escalating air war. Russia has ramped up production of ballistic missiles and drones, and Ukraine’s ability to intercept them depends heavily on systems such as the US-made Patriot – interceptors that remain in limited supply.
Whether Zelensky has indeed instructed his team to plan for a prolonged war remains unconfirmed publicly. With both sides, Kyiv and Moscow holding firm on core demands, the prospect of a swift diplomatic breakthrough appears increasingly distant.