We even offer to meet Russia in Kazakhstan, but Putin chooses war - Zelenskyy
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukraine and other countries have offered Russia negotiations at the leaders' level, even in Kazakhstan, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in an interview for Fox News.
Zelenskyy noted that the Russian leadership had been repeatedly offered a leaders' meeting in many different countries and cities.
In particular, such proposals were made by the teams of Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, leaders of European countries, including French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as Turkish President Recep Erdoğan.
"Trump's team, my team, Europeans, including Macron and other leaders, and the Turkish President, I know that President Erdogan was in Europe, all of us, all of our teams, proposed a meeting in Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, in Europe, neutral, like Austria or Switzerland. So we said: 'Even if you want somewhere like Kazakhstan. We are ready,'" Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian President also stated that Putin "wants to go to other territories." Zelenskyy said that he had told his colleagues this a year ago.
"I said them (Ukrainian allies - ed.) one year ago: look, don't wait until he (Putin - ed.) finishes the war in Ukraine and continues somewhere else. He can continue somewhere without ending in Ukraine, because he understands that he needs for his war machine, for his factories, for his close circle of businessmen who are in the defense-military sector and have big money," the President explained.
Zelenskyy added that Putin wants to show that Russia will continue the war, and that is why the Kremlin head refused meetings.
"He wants to show that they will continue. That is why he postponed meetings, any kind of meetings at the level of leaders with me - trilateral, bilateral, it doesn't matter how many leaders," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Projects of a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting
After two fruitless rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, the delegations of Ukraine and Russia agreed that a personal meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin was necessary for results.
In August, President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was ready for a leaders' meeting with Russia, but Moscow continues hostilities and puts forward new conditions.
The Kremlin claimed that Putin was ready to meet with Zelenskyy but presented unacceptable capitulation terms.
At the beginning of September, Putin proposed to Zelenskyy to meet in Moscow. However, the Ukrainian President rejected such an idea.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not rule out that Putin is afraid of meeting with Zelenskyy to discuss the conditions for ending the war.
