Russia is willing to make compromises in peace negotiations with Ukraine if Kyiv is too. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this to journalists in St. Petersburg. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, responds that he wants to sit down with him immediately.
Putin says that his American counterpart Donald Trump asked him to give in to his demands during their talks in Alaska in 2025. The Russian leader says he is willing to do so, provided Ukraine does the same. The conflict could then be over quickly, Putin said.
Zelensky responds
Zelensky responded quickly and stated that he wants to sit down directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace negotiations. During those negotiations, Zelensky is prepared to observe a complete ceasefire, ‘as is customary’.
“Don’t be afraid to choose a way out of this war,” Zelensky writes in a public letter to his Russian counterpart. “That is the main thing that is expected of you now.”
According to the Ukrainian leader, there are many countries that would like to act as mediators for such talks, provided that Russia is open to this. “It is the leaders who solve the most important problems. That has always been the case and always will be the case,” Zelensky said.
Europe part of the negotiations
As far as Zelensky is concerned, Europe can be part of those negotiations, just as the US can oversee a ceasefire. But “then we should not hide behind formulations, specialist working groups or endless ‘shuttle diplomacy’,” said the Ukrainian leader, alluding to the indirect talks with Russia.
Zelensky also proposes exchanging all remaining prisoners of war at once, a step he believes could be a “good prologue” for an agreement.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly stressed the importance of a face-to-face conversation with Putin. So far he has not received support from the Kremlin.
Zelensky welcome to Moscow any time
Putin, who spoke to the international press in St. Petersburg on Thursday, mentioned almost simultaneously with the publication of Zelensky’s letter that he would ‘probably’ sign a possible deal with Ukraine with Zelensky.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stated that Zelensky is welcome in Moscow “any time” if he wants to talk about a peace deal.
During the meeting, Putin further praised his own military achievements and US President Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate negotiations with Ukraine. Ukraine, on the other hand, ‘still had to be convinced’ to appear at the negotiating table and to commit to its own demands. If the country is willing to do that, then so is Russia, Putin said.
According to Putin, Russia has recently made significant territorial gains in Ukraine, the Russian army is capable of achieving its military goals and is even becoming stronger. Western analysts question that claim, partly because Russia is currently losing more soldiers than it is able to recruit.
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