“We’re definitely not losing it”In an interview with AFP, Zelensky rejected suggestions that Ukraine is on the brink of defeat. On security guarantees, Zelensky reiterated that any post-ceasefire European troop deployment should be positioned close to the front line. “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 mistrustPancevski said Zelensky had indicated he might consider territorial compromise only if backed by strong, legally binding security guarantees – particularly from the United States. 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.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 21, 2026 21:42 UTC