Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that allies should work to determine a format for possible peace conversations with Russia, reiterating that only conversations involving Kiev could achieve sustainable peace.
His comments are the last to increase speculation about the possibility of negotiations to end the brutal conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives after almost three years of struggle.
“I understand that contacts can have different formats,” Zelensky said, referring to possible negotiations that would lead to “just peace.”
“I think we should focus on this today,” he said.
President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that he was ready to talk with his American counterpart Donald Trump about Ukraine, and praised him as a “intelligent” leader who could have avoided that the conflict began in February 2022.
Putin did not say when the conversations could take place, and the Kremlin said previously that he was still waiting for Washington’s “signs”, although Trump announced Thursday that he was willing to meet with Putin “immediately.”
Trump, who assumed the position on Monday, described the “ridiculous” conflict and threatened Russia with more hard economic sanctions if he does not accept to stop his offensive.
Zelensky said in kyiv that conversations should be held to end the war between the United States, Ukraine and Russia, as well as the European Union, and said that peace could only be achieved with solid security guarantees for their country.
No ‘common plan’
“I cannot say today what kind of negotiations will take place or what will be the structure of the negotiation process because we still do not have a common plan,” added Zelensky.
He reiterated a common point of conversation among Ukrainian officials that any negotiation that excludes Kiev would not ultimately guarantee a lasting peace.
“It is impossible to exclude Ukraine from any negotiation platform, or this negotiation platform will not have real results, but will have political results,” he said.
“And those results will have nothing to do with the security and end of war,” he said.
Zelensky has presented several proposals to end the conflict, including his so -called victory plan at a summit in Ukraine last year that brought together dozens of international countries and organizations.
The revitalized rhetoric around possible conversations arrives at a critical moment for Ukraine on the battlefield.
His unmanned army has been giving ground to a Russian force with better resources for months, and Moscow’s troops are now at the gates of the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time since they invaded her in 2022.
None of the parties has shown signs of reducing tension since Trump’s possession, despite his statement that he could end the conflict in a day once he is in power.
While progressing on the extensive front in the east and southern Ukraine, Russia has also intensified its attacks with drones and missiles against kyiv’s energy and military infrastructure.
The Ukraine Air Force said on Saturday that it had demolished two missiles and 45 Russian drones during the night.
Emergency services in the Cherkasy central region said Russian air bombardment aimed “critical infrastructure”, caused a great fire and caused power outages.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian presidency said that a several -story residential building was attacked near kyiv on the second consecutive night of Russian attacks. The Russian occupation authorities in southern Ukraine said on Saturday that a Ukrainian attack against a village in the Kherson region had killed three people.
