Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Zelenskyy-Putin meeting: Our next step
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine wants to organize a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be the next step in negotiations with Russia, says Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The Defense Minister recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expected the talks with Russia in Istanbul to take place at a high level.
"I believe the next step should be organizing a meeting at the level of leaders — and that will be our next move," he emphasized.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, for his part, emphasized that a very difficult day was "ending on a very good note."
"The initial success of today's negotiations still needs to be consolidated, which means pressure on Russia must continue — we cannot afford to relax," he added.
Kyslytsya explained that many issues can only be resolved at the level of the two countries' leaders.
"Given the complexity of these issues and the nature of the Russian system — where practically any decision can only be made by President Putin — we hope the summit takes place as soon as possible," the deputy foreign minister said.
He also noted that the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange is great news for a thousand families in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy-Putin meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a meeting this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the Kremlin leader refused to engage in such a dialogue.
As a result, only technical-level talks took place between Ukraine and Russia. A decision on a 30-day ceasefire was not reached, due to Moscow's position.
