Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says Ukraine War is at the ‘Beginning of the End’: Why He’s Urging Trump to See Through Russia’s Peace ‘Games’

Four years ago today, the world held its breath as Russian armor rolled toward Kyiv, expecting a sovereign nation’s rapid collapse. Today, on February 24, 2026, the geopolitical narrative has fundamentally shifted from sheer survival to the brutal, complex mechanics of a resolution. Standing in Independence Square near a makeshift memorial of flags honoring fallen soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast a profound look toward the future. But it was his candid, newly published Financial Times Zelenskyy interview that sent immediate ripples through the corridors of power in Washington, Brussels, and Moscow. The Ukraine war end is no longer a distant abstraction. We are, in his exact words, at the “beginning of the end.”

However, this final chapter is fraught with diplomatic landmines. As the world digests the latest Ukraine war updates, Zelenskyy’s core message wasn’t just directed at his weary citizens or European allies; it was a targeted, urgent plea to U.S. President Donald Trump. His goal? To ensure Washington doesn’t fall for the Russia games Trump might be tempted to entertain in his quest for a historic diplomatic victory.

“The Beginning of the End”: Decoding Zelenskyy’s Strategy

In international diplomacy, vocabulary is everything. By declaring the conflict is at the “beginning of the end,” Zelenskyy is signaling a transition from indefinite attrition to the tactical positioning that precedes an armistice. He is acknowledging the realities of a war-weary globe while firmly attempting to dictate the terms of the endgame.

In his extensive interview, Zelenskyy clarified that the “beginning of the end” does not equate to an immediate surrender or a hasty territorial compromise. Instead, it marks the phase where military stalemates force genuine structural negotiations. The recent trilateral Geneva negotiations on February 18, 2026, underscored this shift. Zelenskyy described the talks as arduous, noting that while political consensus remains out of reach, tangible progress was achieved on military de-escalation protocols.

“Putin is this war. He is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place so that there is real peace.” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, February 24, 2026

Seeing Through Putin’s “Games”: A Warning to Washington

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has undeniably accelerated the push for a negotiated settlement. Following the highly scrutinized Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, Alaska, in late 2025, anxiety has permeated Kyiv. The underlying fear is that Washington might broker a transactional deal over Ukraine’s head, exchanging Ukrainian sovereignty for a perceived geopolitical win against the backdrop of rising U.S.-China tensions.

Zelenskyy’s challenge to the U.S. President is blunt: come to Kyiv. “Only by coming to Ukraine and seeing with one’s own eyes our life and our struggle… can one understand what this war is really about,” Zelenskyy stated during his anniversary address.

He explicitly warned that Trump Russia Ukraine tripartite dynamics are being actively manipulated by Moscow. During Putin peace talks, the Kremlin’s proposals are not olive branches but tactical Trojan horses—designed to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position and exploit the new U.S. administration’s desire for a swift resolution. “The Russians are playing games,” Zelenskyy noted, stressing that the Kremlin has no serious, good-faith intention of ending the war unless forced by overwhelming leverage.

[Map of the current line of contact in Eastern Ukraine and proposed ceasefire monitoring zones]

The Mechanics of Peace: Security Guarantees and Ceasefire Monitoring

A ceasefire without enforcement is merely a tactical pause for rearmament—a painful lesson Ukraine learned between 2014 and 2022. This is the crux of the current diplomatic deadlock. However, the February 18 Geneva talks highlighted that military pragmatism is slowly taking shape.

Crucially, the sides have reportedly resolved the logistical framework for monitoring a prospective ceasefire, which would include direct US participation ceasefire oversight. This represents a massive geopolitical pivot, particularly given the Trump administration’s historical reluctance to commit American resources abroad, though it stops short of deploying U.S. combat troops.

To prevent a future invasion, Kyiv is demanding ironclad Ukraine ceasefire guarantees before any guns fall silent. As analyzed by foreign policy experts at The Washington Post, vague promises will not suffice.

Proposed Security Frameworks vs. Historical Precedents

The Economic Battlefield: Tariffs, Sanctions, and EU Accession

You cannot divorce the geopolitical reality of the conflict’s resolution from the ongoing global macroeconomic shifts. As of February 2026, the international economy is digesting President Trump’s newly implemented 10% global tariff, creating a complex web of leverage and friction among Western allies.

For Ukraine, the endgame is not merely about drawing lines on a map; it is about securing the economic viability required to rebuild its shattered infrastructure and advance its European Union accession. According to insights from The New York Times, Western aid must now transition from emergency military provisions to long-term economic reconstruction capital.

[Chart illustrating the comparative economic contraction and recovery projections of Russia and Ukraine from 2022 to 2026]

Russia, meanwhile, continues to operate a hyper-militarized war economy. While Moscow projects resilience, the structural rot is becoming impossible to hide. The Bloomberg commodities index reflects how Western sanctions have forced Russia to pivot its energy exports to Asian markets at steep discounts, fundamentally restructuring the global energy grid and slashing the Kremlin’s long-term revenue streams.

The Economic Attrition of the War (2022–2026)

Expert Analysis: The Realities of Global Geopolitics in 2026

When we analyze the Zelenskyy beginning of the end statement through the lens of geopolitics 2026, it is clear this is a calculated narrative pivot. As international relations researchers at The Economist note, Zelenskyy is preemptively framing the narrative. By calling out Russia’s “games” publicly, he is boxing the Trump administration into a corner where any concession to Putin looks like American weakness rather than diplomatic pragmatism.

Europe, meanwhile, is stepping up. The “coalition of the willing”—spearheaded by the UK, France, and a re-arming Germany—recognizes that the continent can no longer rely solely on the American security umbrella. If the U.S. forces a bitter peace, Europe will be left dealing with the fallout of an emboldened, revanchist Russia on its borders.

Conclusion: Forging a Durable Peace

The fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion is a somber reminder of the staggering human cost of this conflict. As Zelenskyy urges Trump to visit Independence Square and witness the “sea of pain” firsthand, the message is unmistakable: peace cannot be signed on a spreadsheet or dictated from a summit in Alaska. It must be forged in reality, backed by unshakeable security guarantees, and grounded in the acknowledgment that rewarding aggression only guarantees future wars.

The “beginning of the end” is here. The question now is whether the Western alliance, led by a highly transactional U.S. administration, has the strategic patience to ensure that the end results in a lasting, just peace—or merely a countdown to the next conflict.