Putin Demands Ukraine Surrender, But Zelensky Calls It a Fantasy

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine’s surrender following ceasefire talks between the US and Russia in Moscow.

Zelensky argued that Putin is unwilling to withdraw because it would leave him politically weakened. I Photo: President of Russia

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the demand as unrealistic, ABC News' Meredith Deliso reported.

The talks involved US President Donald Trump urging Putin to spare Ukrainian soldiers' lives. Trump described the discussions as “very good and productive” and expressed optimism about ending the war.

However, he falsely claimed that thousands of Ukrainian troops were surrounded.

“I have strongly requested President Putin to spare their lives. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,” Trump stated.

Zelensky, however, accused Putin of obstructing diplomatic efforts to end the war.

“Putin is lying about the real situation on the battlefield, about casualties, and about the true state of his economy, which has been damaged by his foolish imperial ambitions,” Zelensky said.

“He is doing everything possible to ensure diplomacy fails.”

Ukraine’s military leadership confirmed that its forces continue to resist Russian offensives. “Our soldiers are repelling enemy attacks and delivering effective fire with all types of weapons,” the General Staff of Ukraine stated.

Zelensky argued that Putin is unwilling to withdraw because it would leave him politically weakened.

“That is why he is sabotaging diplomacy by setting extreme and unacceptable conditions from the start, even before a ceasefire is reached,” he said.

Defense analyst Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called Trump's claim about Ukraine’s military position “simply untrue.”

Meanwhile, George Barros, a Russian analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), also refuted Trump’s assertion on X, writing: “Available battlefield evidence does not indicate any large-scale encirclement of Ukrainian forces, and certainly not involving thousands of troops.”