Today at 18:03
Ukraine will determine who should serve as Europe’s representative in future negotiations with Russia, while European partners will propose possible formats for such talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Yedyni Novyny national telethon, UATV English reports.
According to Zelenskyy, the issue was discussed during this week’s meeting of the European Council, where Ukraine occupied a larger portion of the agenda than ever before. He noted that private discussions between the Ukrainian delegation and European leaders lasted for two hours.
“We discussed Europe’s role in dialogue with the Russians and how this should look. Europe will think about the format and propose several options, but Ukraine will determine who the negotiator from Europe will be. That is fair,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president added that participants also openly discussed the potential consequences of failing to bring Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and which countries could face security risks if the war continues.
“Very openly, we discussed what will happen if we do not bring Putin to the negotiating table now and which countries are under threat,” he stated.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine would eventually resume, although the format has not yet been determined.
According to the president, Kyiv continues to count on reliable security guarantees and future membership in the European Union once peace is achieved.
Read also: Zelenskyy Awaits Concrete Steps from Lukashenko: “He Can Keep His ‘I’m Sorry’ for Himself”
