Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is willing to follow a diplomatic path and talk directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the conflict between the countries, which has lasted almost three years.
The statement took place during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, broadcast on Tuesday (4).
The Ukrainian leader also talked about the need for the meeting.
“If people believe we should move to the diplomatic way, and I believe we are ready to move to the diplomatic way, we need to be the US, Europe, Ukraine and Russia.”
Volodymyr Zelensky
He said that sitting with Putin at the negotiation table “was the only scenario where we could bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine … We would definitely do this scenario for a meeting with these four participants.”
When asked about possible tubes in sanctions, Zelensky said this could increase the risk of new invasions.
“If sanctions are suspended from the Russian Federation, I believe this will increase the risk of a second invasion,” he said.
The Kremlin, which gained strength for months in its advancement from eastern Ukraine, said this week it was too early to consider four -way negotiations.
Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov again pointed out Zelensky as a “illegitimate” leader because he.
Elections
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Zelensky on several occasions as a negotiation participant, claiming that he did not submit to elections when his term ended in May 2024.
Ukraine said no election is legally possible as long as martial law remains in force. In the interview, Zelensky rejected Kremlin’s argument, saying he was elected in 2019 with 73% of the votes.
“I was always open to elections. But during a war, elections require constitutional changes and serious legal adjustments, ”he said.
“The main question is not just cool, it is human. How will the soldiers in the trenches vote? And as to the millions of Ukrainians in occupied territories. Do your voices matter anymore? What about the eight million Ukrainians forced to go abroad by war? ”
The US President suggested that Washington and Moscow contacted Ukraine, but an important Russian diplomat said direct contacts were not yet underway.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, raised the question of election last week, telling Reuters that Washington wanted Ukraine to make an election potentially by the end of the year, especially if Kiev could agree with a truce with Russia.
