Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Saturday that Kyiv must be involved in peace talks with Russia to succeed and that allies should try to decide on a format for future negotiations.
After nearly three years of combat, his remarks are the most recent to fuel speculation about the prospect of negotiations to end the bloody conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
About potential talks that would result in “just peace,” Zelensky stated, “I understand that contacts can be in different formats.”
“I believe we ought to concentrate on this today,” he stated.
Vladimir Putin, who praised US President Donald Trump as a “smart” leader who could have avoided the conflict beginning in February 2022, stated earlier this week that he was prepared to discuss Ukraine with his US counterpart.
Although Trump declared on Thursday that he was eager to meet with Putin “immediately,” Putin did not specify when the talks could begin. The Kremlin had earlier stated that it was still awaiting “signals” from Washington.
Trump, who took office on Monday, has referred to the situation as “ridiculous” and vowed to impose more severe economic sanctions on Russia if it does not halt its onslaught.
In Kyiv, Zelensky stated that the European Union, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States should hold peace negotiations.
Since we don’t yet have a shared plan, Zelensky continued, “I can’t say what kind of negotiations will take place today or what will be the structure of the negotiation process.”
He restated a point frequently made by Ukrainian officials: any negotiations that did not include Kyiv would not eventually result in a sustainable peace.
“Ukraine cannot be excluded from any negotiation platform; otherwise, this platform will only produce political outcomes rather than actual outcomes,” he stated.
According to him, “such outcomes will have nothing to do with security and the end of the war.”
At a Ukraine meeting last year that gathered dozens of nations and international organisations, Zelensky presented several solutions to end the conflict, including his so-called victory plan.
