Ukraine's Zelenskyy improvises midflight to get out his message on a whirlwind European trip

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no time to hold a traditional news conference during a whirlwind, 36-hour trip across Europe this week, so he improvised.

For the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of his country, Zelenskyy — who usually takes reporters’ questions in person while trotting the globe — communicated with the news media via group chat. While flying between London and Brussels, he answered a long list of questions from Ukrainian and international reporters, relaying audio clips on WhatsApp.

His chosen mode of communication was, if not unprecedented, at the very least extremely rare for a world leader.

The low drone of the aircraft blended with his hoarse, tired-sounding voice, yet his message cut through clearly: Amid uncertain negotiations to end the war, Ukraine, he said, cannot surrender land.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories,” he said in a crackling message late Monday. “According to the law, we don’t have such a right … and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”

With the outlook for negotiations changing by the day, Zelenskyy’s team set out on a jam-packed schedule to shore up support in Europe.

Zelenskyy met the leaders of Britain, Germany and France in London, and the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels, before traveling on to Rome for talks with the Italian prime minister and Pope Leo XIV.

A key issue being discussed is whether Ukraine should cede Russian‑occupied territory in return for security guarantees, but the talks have been complicated by uncertainty about the Trump administration’s commitment to European security.

Since the start of the war, Zelenskyy has shown a desire to communicate in real-time in whatever way is necessary.

When Kyiv came under siege shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Zelenskyy tried to reassure the public through what appeared to be a cellphone video with three top officials — perhaps his best-known address.

“We are all here,” he said at the time. “Our soldiers are here, the citizens of our country are all here protecting our independence, and we are going to continue to do so.”

Since then, Zelenskyy has made frequent communication a strategic priority in a sleep-defying cycle of video messages, remote speeches to Western parliaments and conferences, late-night posts and high-security public appearances.

Monday night’s WhatsApp exchange wound down as his plane landed in Brussels, just before he was whisked into his next round of meetings.

He asked reporters: “How did you like this format? If it works for you, then when we have the opportunity, we’ll share our thoughts and decisions this way again.”

It didn't take long. By Tuesday evening, Zelenskyy had sent reporters more audio messages on WhatsApp to explain how talks to end the war were proceeding with its Western allies.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks past Swiss guards as he arrives to meet with Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looks back at the media as he walks to meet Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Coups and attempted coups in West Africa, along with escalating security challenges, have left the region in a state of emergency, a leader of the regional bloc said Tuesday.

Omar Touray, president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, spoke to the bloc’s mediation and security council two days after a failed coup attempt in Benin, the latest in a string of military takeovers and attempted takeovers. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo.

Also on Tuesday, Nigeria’s Senate approved a request from President Bola Tinubu to deploy troops in Benin at its government's request. Nigeria had carried out airstrikes on armored vehicles during the attempted takeover there, also at the government's request.

“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” Touray said. “Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency.”

It was not immediately clear whether his declaration was a formal one and what it might entail.

The bloc has faced criticism over its uneven response to the coups in recent years.

Touray's declaration may be an attempt to restore credibility for the bloc following a threatened but never acted-on intervention following a coup in Niger in 2023, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

“ECOWAS is concerned that coups will become the new mainstream in West Africa,” Laessing said. “Now they try to show they mean business."

FILE - Soldiers ride in a military vehicle along a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo, file)

FILE - Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, left, Gambia's President Adama Barrow,, center and Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar pose for a photo, prior to the start of the ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga, file)