US President Donald Trump's move to advance peace negotiations with Russia & but without Ukraine's participation & has sparked serious concerns in Kyiv and across Europe with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that the end of the Ukraine war could result in a situation similar to Afghanistan in 2021.Zelenskyy's remarks came on the eve of talks between Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.These talks, which are part of new efforts by US President Donald Trump to advance peace negotiations, have sparked concerns that Washington and Moscow might shape Ukraine's future without its involvement.Zelenskyy meanwhile said: &You can''t just take that off the table.
That's not how it works.
I don''t think anyone is interested in an Afghanistan 2.0,& Zelenskyy said, referring to US government statements that Ukraine would not become a NATO member.He specifically pointed to the hasty withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan, which was negotiated during Donald Trump's first term and rapidly implemented under former president Joe Biden in 2021.
This led to a chaotic retreat and the collapse of the former Afghan government.Zelensky stressed that back then, &lack of respect for human life& led to the ''tragedy.& He added: &So there are experiences with what happens when someone ends something without thinking it through and withdraws very quickly.While acknowledging that Ukraine is now a different country than at the beginning of Russia's invasion, with experience in its own arms production, Zelenskyy emphasized that ''there will definitely be no victory for Ukraine without US support.UK reacts to Trump's initiativeBritain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer also spoke out against Trump's move to broker peace with Russia, without Ukraine's involvement, and warned the US president against letting Ukraine become an &Afghanistan-style disaster&.Starmer made the comparison with the collapse of Kabul in 2021 & which Trump branded &one of the greatest defeats in American history& and urged the US not to make too many concessions to Russia.Starmer stressed that any resolution must be lasting and prevent Russia's President Vladimir Putin from &coming again& for more territory.The post Zelenskyy warns against ‘repeat of Afghanistan scenario& in Ukraine first appeared on Ariana News.