President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s decision to give up its nuclear arsenal without securing NATO membership was a “historic mistake,” arguing the country received no real security guarantees in return.
In an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast published on Friday, April 10, Zelensky said the Budapest Memorandum had failed to provide meaningful protection.
Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin understands he cannot fully occupy Ukraine militarily but is attempting to achieve strategic goals through diplomacy.
He warned that Russia is seeking to push Ukraine out of the Donbas through negotiations with the United States, rather than battlefield advances.
According to Zelensky, a full-scale Russian attempt to seize the Donbas would come at an enormous human cost.
“It would cost them between 300,000 and 1 million troops,” he said, adding that such losses would be difficult even for Moscow to sustain.
Zelensky also rejected any territorial concessions, warning that withdrawing Ukrainian forces from the Donbas would divide the country and create conditions for further Russian offensives.
He said Moscow could use any pause in fighting to rebuild its forces, expand its military industry, and push for sanctions relief.
The president also outlined what he said were indicators that Russia is not genuinely seeking peace, including refusing direct talks at the leadership level and rejecting proposals to deploy foreign troops along the front line.
Zelensky said Europe must strengthen its security architecture, particularly if US support weakens.
He called for deeper cooperation between the European Union, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Turkey, and Norway, arguing that such a bloc would be capable of deterring Russia.