Zelensky on Ukraine War Talks with US – Latest News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that talks between Ukrainian and American officials will take place soon regarding reaching proposals to end the war with Russia, which announced that it will negotiate only with Washington.

Zelensky explained – in his daily video speech – that senior Ukrainian officials from the army, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and intelligence will participate in the talks aimed at putting an end to the conflict that is approaching its fourth year.

Earlier today, Andrei Yermak, director of Zelensky’s office, said that the president would not agree to give up land to Russia in exchange for peace, according to what was reported by the American magazine “The Atlantic.”

Yermak, who is also the chief Ukrainian negotiator, explained that no rational person would sign a document ceding Ukrainian lands as long as Volodymyr Zelensky remained president of the country, noting that this was against the constitution.

Yermak stated that all that can be realistically talked about now is defining the line of contact, describing the proposal reached in the Abu Dhabi negotiations as not conflicting with his country’s interests, and that it takes into account its red lines.

The first version of the peace proposal – presented by the United States – stipulated that Kiev would cede the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk to Moscow, and many in Kiev considered it a surrender, and the text was amended since then after consultations with Ukraine, which had previously considered giving up territory a red line.

Russian-American negotiations

On the other hand, the Russian Interfax news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying today that Russia expects to have information about the points agreed upon in the proposed peace plan by the time an American delegation arrives in Moscow next week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Moscow is working on the basis that it is negotiating this plan only with the United States.

The Kremlin spokesman previously announced that the United States had handed Russia the final peace plan that was reached during negotiations it conducted with Ukraine in Geneva.

He explained that his country has received the main criteria for the plan, and negotiations will be held in Moscow next week, noting that the differences related to international recognition of the decisions of the settlement process in Ukraine will be determined during the negotiations.

He pointed out that everyone prefers to reach a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict through peaceful means. He added that the Ukrainian president “has a problem with his legitimacy and his unwillingness to hold elections in Ukraine and abide by the constitution.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, Thursday, during a press conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, that “the fighting will stop with Ukraine’s withdrawal from the territories it occupies in Donbass, and if it does not withdraw, we will achieve our goals with military force.”

Regarding the American peace proposal, Putin said that a final agreement has not yet been reached regarding the settlement in Ukraine, and the proposal may be a basis for reaching a future agreement, but there is no final formula yet regarding peace, stressing that Washington “takes our positions into account.”