Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the end of the Ukraine war could result in a situation similar to Afghanistan in 2021, according to an interview with German public broadcaster ARD’s talk show maischberger.

Before the first talks between US and Russian representatives on potential paths to a peace agreement for Ukraine, Zelenskyy warned the West against repeating past mistakes. On 18 February, the discussions between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“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.

The Ukrainian President specifically pointed to the hasty withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan, which was negotiated during Donald Trump’s first term and rapidly implemented under Joe Biden in 2021. This led to a chaotic retreat while the Taliban quickly seized Kabul and took power.

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.”

The Ukrainian president firmly rejected agreements made without Ukraine’s involvement. “Everything that Russia and the US can agree on – if they want to agree on anything at all – concerns their bilateral relations. They certainly cannot negotiate about our people and our lives,” he stated. “We are an independent state.”

Zelensky directly criticized the new direction in US policy. “But it’s a problem that the US is saying things today that are very pleasant for Putin. I think that’s the core of it. Because they want to please him. You know what for? To meet each other and have a quick success.”

He also warned of potential Russian military plans. According to Zelenskyy, Russia is building 15 new divisions, potentially amassing 150,000 additional soldiers. He said that they might repeat the pattern from 2022 when Russian troops gathered in Belarus for exercises before launching the full invasion of Ukraine.

“They could try to take an easier – albeit riskier – path and attack the first NATO state. A NATO country that is not so large and has a troop contingent that is not sufficient. That could be Lithuania – or Poland,” Zelenskyy said.

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