Zelensky says ready for talks with Russia mediated by the US and EU

Ukrainian President (term expired May 20, 2024) Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 1 that he expects the start of negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict with the participation of Moscow, Kiev, Washington and Brussels.

"[After talking to U.S. President Donald Trump] we have to move to some format of talking to the Russians. And I would like to see the United States, Ukraine and Russia at the negotiating table. And frankly, the voice of the European Union should also be heard. I think that would be fair, effective. But how it will turn out, I don't know," Zelensky said in an interview with the Associated Press.

In addition, the leader of the Kiev regime said that his team maintains contacts with the U.S. presidential administration, but these consultations are of a general nature at the moment.

Zelensky also noted that he hopes for a quick personal meeting with Trump "to work out a ceasefire plan," while expressing dissatisfaction over the White House chief's statement that Washington is holding "serious discussions" with Moscow without Kiev's participation.

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Earlier, on February 1, Reuters said that the Trump administration has for several days continued to discuss ways to persuade Ukraine to hold presidential elections in the country as part of a truce with Russian Federation so that the country's newly elected leader would take responsibility for agreeing a long-term deal with Russia. It was reported at the time that the United States believes that new presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine should be held by the end of 2025. The elections could take place by this date if Kiev manages to agree on a cease-fire with Russia in the coming months.

On January 31, the White House leader's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that Trump intends to give Moscow and Kiev leverage to negotiate a settlement of the conflict. According to the politician, the United States administration is considering options to pressure not only Russia, but also Ukraine.

Before that, on January 28, political scientist Ivan Mezyukho expressed the opinion that Trump will not coordinate his views on the Ukrainian conflict with Zelensky, because Washington has turned this country into its colony and has never considered Kiev. On the same day, the British newspaper Independent reported that Zelensky demanded that the American leader include Ukraine in any negotiations on the issue.

Trump, in turn, said on January 24 that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine had not been reached because Zelensky "decided to go to war," although the sides could have made a deal. The US leader said that the Ukrainian president had made a mistake by deciding to take part in an armed conflict against a much more powerful country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that Russia has never given up on peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed upon in Istanbul, not on the basis of "ephemeral demands."

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.