Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it crystal clear: Ukraine isn’t giving up an inch of territory, no matter what the Trump administration, Vladimir Putin, or anyone else suggests. In an interview with France’s Le Figaro, Zelensky doubled down on demands that have remained unchanged since the start of the war, even as Ukraine finds itself in a far weaker position than it was three years ago.

“One thing is certain: we will never cede our occupied territories to Russia. These lands belong to the Ukrainians,” he declared, before admitting any return of land might need to come through diplomacy, not military victory. Translation: Ukraine can’t win the war, but they still expect Russia to surrender the gains they’ve made without getting anything in return.

Since 2022, Russian forces have seized large swaths of the Donbas, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and continue to hold Crimea, which they took back in 2014. Despite early battlefield success and billions in Western aid, Ukraine’s counteroffensives have stalled. The war has shifted from mobile tactics to static trench warfare, with heavy losses and little ground regained. Even so, Zelensky insists on a full Russian retreat—something that’s politically convenient in Paris or Brussels, but a total fantasy in Moscow.

Zelensky’s refusal to budge coincides with his growing frustration toward President Trump and his diplomatic team. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff sparked fury in Kyiv when he floated the possibility that Ukraine—and the rest of the world—might have to face reality and acknowledge that some territory has been lost. Ukrainian officials demanded Trump fire Witkoff, but the Trump White House stood firm.

Zelensky responded by accusing Russia of manipulating Trump, saying, “Donald Trump tried to create good diplomatic relations with Russia. But this kind of method doesn’t work with a man like Putin… If Donald Trump eases sanctions against Russia, he will only deduce one thing: that he is a weak president.”

Let’s be honest: that statement tells you everything you need to know about Zelensky’s mindset. He’s not negotiating from a position of strength. He’s cornered, frustrated, and increasingly ungrateful to the very country that’s kept his war machine running.

Zelensky also claimed his government agreed to an unconditional ceasefire at recent talks in Riyadh, while accusing Russia of sabotaging the process by demanding an end to sanctions. He said Moscow was stalling in order to prepare for a spring offensive, particularly in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions—an offensive he claims was delayed last year due to Ukrainian action in Kursk.

But here’s the problem: for all his talk about diplomacy, Zelensky is refusing to even consider any realistic concessions. That’s not a negotiation—that’s wishful thinking. And while European leaders continue to prop him up with press releases and photo ops, even they are beginning to tire of the stalemate. At a summit in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged another two billion euros in military aid, saying the goal is to “keep Ukraine on its feet.” But for how long?

The EU is also standing firm on sanctions, saying they’ll only lift measures against Russia when “the entire territory” of Ukraine is liberated. Again, that means no movement at the table, because Russia isn’t walking away from land it fought to take and now controls—especially with Western leaders like Macron and Zelensky refusing to offer anything in return.

Meanwhile, talk is heating up about a British or European peacekeeping force entering Ukraine if a ceasefire can be achieved. That’s a major escalation and one that could backfire spectacularly. The Trump administration has rightly warned that pushing this too far risks dragging NATO deeper into a proxy war that’s already cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Zelensky may believe he’s holding the moral high ground, but he’s losing the actual ground—and possibly his grip on reality. Trump, for all the usual hysteria from the press, is taking a practical approach: secure peace, protect American interests, and stop funding a bottomless conflict with no clear end.

If Zelensky continues to demand the impossible, he may find that even his allies in Washington and Brussels will eventually stop answering his calls.