Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said allies should work towards determining a format for any upcoming peace talks with Russia and that Kyiv must be involved for successful negotiations.
His comments are the latest to pile speculation over the possibility of talks to end the brutal conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives after almost three years of fighting.
“I understand that contacts can be in different formats,” Zelensky said, referring to possible negotiations that would lead to “a just peace”.
“I think we should focus on this today,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week said he was ready for talks with US counterpart Donald Trump on Ukraine, praising him as a “smart” leader who might have prevented the conflict from starting in February 2022.
Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday, has called the conflict “ridiculous” and threatened Russia with tougher economic sanctions if it does not agree to stop its offensive.
“I can’t say today what kind of negotiations will take place, what will be the structure of the negotiation process, because we don’t have a common plan yet,” Zelensky added.
He reiterated a common talking point among Ukrainian officials that any negotiations that excluded Kyiv would not ultimately guarantee any 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.
Zelensky has put forward several proposals to end the conflict, including his so-called victory plan at a Ukraine summit last year that brought together dozens of countries and international organisations.
