Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is ready for any meeting format with Russia and the United States. He added that territorial issues can only be resolved in a personal meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky noted that at a certain stage of the talks, Ukraine would like to see Europe involved, since EU membership and the Coalition of the Willing are part of the security guarantees. He made the comments in an interview with the Czech outlet Český rozhlas Plus.
“First of all, we need to meet as a threesome [Ukraine, Russia and the]. At a minimum, we must have contact with the Russian Federation, with the leader of Russia. Without such a format, in my view, our teams will not be able to agree on territorial issues,” Zelensky added.
The president said negotiations are now in the “last mile,” where it’s impossible to say whether they will succeed. He said agreements on security guarantees with the EU are “almost ready.”
“Yes, I heard that some politicians proposed this [a swap of Donbas territory for security guarantees]. I have not heard it directly from President Trump, and these are his and the U.S. Congress’s security guarantees. So I understand there is a price for U.S. security guarantees. The question is the price,” the head of state said.
Earlier, Focus reported that Ukraine and the United States had fully agreed on a security guarantees document. Zelensky said the bilateral terms of the guarantees have been agreed, while another pillar will be the participation of countries in the “Coalition of the Willing” and EU membership.
Later, details emerged on how long an “energy truce” should last. Zelensky said the United States discussed an “energy truce” between the Russian and Ukrainian sides for one week.
