“Sometimes we need it. Even if we don’t love faces,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to laughter at the Yalta European Strategy Conference on Friday in Kyiv, Ukraine. The interview aired Sunday.

Zelensky said finding peace first must involve a ceasefire.

“So there is an order of the points of discussions. The first, we need meeting with outcome of ceasefire. And he is not ready for the meeting for today. It’s true. Yes. Then if he wants to speak about territories and about some historical crazy things and et cetera, I’m ready to speak with him. But not through Americans, not through Europeans. With their support, yes, but not through,” he told Zakaria.

Last month, President Donald Trump stated that he began arrangements for a meeting between the two leaders during a phone call with Putin. The call came days after Trump and Putin met at a summit in Alaska and the same day the former met with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House.

Zelensky and Putin have not met in person since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Last month, Zelensky said in a Telegram post that Putin’s rejection of a ceasefire agreement “complicates the situation” regarding a peace agreement. Meeting with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington, Trump said that a ceasefire deal is not a prerequisite for a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and his Russian counterpart.

Russia’s military fully occupies the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine. Russia also gained control of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. When asked by Zakaria about whether he would accept territorial concessions, Zelensky said that is not at the top of his agenda currently.

“We are counting on strong steps from the United States, in cooperation with others – strong sanctions and tariff policies – which will serve as an argument for many around the world,” Zelensky said.

His remarks come days after Russian drones violated Polish airspace and were shot down in what marked the first known instance of NATO forces directly engaging Russian aerial assets during the full-scale invasion.

Zelensky emphasized that such violations should be seen as a direct threat to the entire European continent.

“Everyone sees that the Russian drones attacking Poland are also Putin’s war. And this is a warning not only to Poland but to all of Europe,” he continued, adding, “Russian drones can travel much greater distances.”

Zelensky linked Russia’s continued ability to wage war to its revenue from exports of oil, gas, uranium, and other natural resources. He warned that without tougher economic pressure, the Kremlin would have the means to continue funding its aggression indefinitely.

“This is already a very long war – a war of Russia’s ambitions, capabilities, and budget – and therefore a war of Russian oil, Russian gas, Russian uranium, and other Russian resources that fill Putin’s coffers.”

He also criticized those in the international community who continue to resist calls for harsher penalties on Moscow.

“I urge all partners to stop looking for excuses not to impose particular sanctions – all partners: Europe, the United States, the G7, and the G20 states.”

“Putin’s war will end when he – and only he – can no longer continue it,” Zelensky concluded.