(Reuters)-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Turkey, Gulf countries or European countries could host any conversation he could have with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy is pressuring direct conversations with Putin to help end the Russian war in Ukraine, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said no agenda was prepared for such a meeting.
“Now, this week, there will be contacts with Turkey, contacts with the states of the Gulf and European states that could host conversations with the Russians,” Zelenskiy said in his nightlife speech.
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“For our part, things will be prepared to the fullest to end the war.”
Zelenskiy spoke when his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he and the head of the Ukraine National Security Council were at Qatar to meet that country’s minister of defense.
In his comments, Zelenskiy also said that the advance of negotiations depended on coordination with Ukraine partners, especially the United States, to ensure enough pressure on Russia. This, he said, was discussed on Monday in Kiev with US envoy Keith Kellogg.
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“Everything is still strictly depends on the will of world leaders, especially the United States of America, to press Russia,” Zelenskiy said.
“Russia is just signs that it will continue to avoid real negotiations. This can only be changed with strong sanctions, strong rates – real pressure.”
(Roy Popeski and Yuliia Dysa)
