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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the most effective format for negotiations with Russia would include both the United States and European partners.
According to UATV English, Zelenskyy said this in an interview with CBS News.
Commenting on remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about stalled talks between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations should not be limited to a single mediator.
“I will always be on the side that it can’t be just the United States or Europe. I thought that the strongest position is when Ukraine, Russia, America (the United States), and Europe. I think that this is the strongest, powerful negotiation format,” he said.
Asked whether he believes Russia could eventually agree to end the war, Zelenskyy said there are currently “several tracks” of dialogue, although last year the U.S. track was the priority.
“It was a trilateral meeting – the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. Yes, it was a technical level, not a leaders’ level, at the level of NSA [national security advisors], but I think it was good,” he said.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine remains open to direct bilateral talks with Russia and its leader.
“I’m ready to meet with Putin if he will be ready. I think we need more sanctions. I think we need more pressure. And you asked when they [Russia] will be ready, and if they will be ready, theoretically. I think yes, more sanctions, more pressure, and they will be ready for the dialogue,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he expects U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to visit Kyiv in about two weeks.
When asked when he last heard from Trump’s peace envoys and whether they would come to Kyiv, Zelenskyy said: “Yes, we count on they are coming to Kyiv. I hope that they will find a possibility to come here in two weeks. But at least I’ve got such message from my negotiation group, they told me that they had contacts with Steve and Jared, and they said that they are ready to come to Ukraine and to speak, if, of course, if – always if. And today, ‘if,’ it means Middle East.”
He stressed that Ukrainians “need to see an American negotiation group in Ukraine.”
“They’ve never been here. I think it’s important, not [only] for us. It’s useful for them to understand, to see, to see people, that their life is going on, but we want to stop this war. It’s meant to stop Russia. They’ve been several times in Moscow. I said previously about it, if they want to go this time to Moscow, they have to come to Kyiv and then go to Moscow. I think it will be helpful,” Zelenskyy said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden that talks involving Washington on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine had stalled due to a lack of progress, but the United States was ready to re-engage if there were real prospects for results.
Read also: Europe’s shared task is to find ways to support every country — Zelenskyy
