Zelensky's New Year Address: Trump Just Got Put on Notice - Professor Gerdes Explains 🇺🇦 [View all]

In his 2026 New Year’s address, Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a message that was as much a diplomatic chess move as it was a holiday greeting. Fresh off his high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Zelensky used the global stage to clarify that while a peace deal is "90% ready," the final 10% is where the battle for Ukraine's soul will be won or lost.

He drew a firm line: Ukraine will not accept a "weak agreement" or a "Budapest-style piece of paper." By emphasizing that any deal must be ratified by the U.S. Congress and European parliaments, he effectively put the onus on the Trump administration to deliver not just a ceasefire, but ironclad, enforceable security guarantees. It was a masterclass in leveraging "Peace Through Strength" back toward the West.