Peace talks format will depend on war-ending plan - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
It is too early to talk about certain formats of peace talks with Russia. The format will depend on the plan to end the Russian war against Ukraine. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu.
According to the president, it is simply impossible to exclude Ukraine from any negotiation platform, because then such a negotiation platform will not have real results, but only political ones that will not be related to security or the end of the war.
"Secondly, I had good meetings with Trump (US President - ed.) and conversations, and I once again support the fact that he wants to succeed. And I am sure that he has a great chance, and let's believe that he will succeed. This can only be done with Ukraine," Zelenskyy said, adding that there is no other way.
At the same time, the president expressed his understanding that contacts between the parties to the negotiations could take place in different formats.
"The formats depend on the plan to end the war. And I'm seriously very much convinced that everybody wants, the American side, the European side, everybody wants success, and success for everybody is peace. And I think this is very important. Formats before a meeting, one or the other, should be on paper. The format of how we can achieve a just peace," he said.
This week, US President Donald Trump strongly appealed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table to end the war against Ukraine. Otherwise, Trump said, he will take tough measures to force Moscow to do so.
Putin, in turn, said that he was not against negotiations to end the war, but that it was allegedly Ukraine that refused to talk to Russia. The Office of the President of Ukraine explained this statement as Putin's desire to negotiate an end to the war without Ukraine's participation.
