Zelenskyy instructs team to prepare face-to-face meeting with Putin
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (facebook.com_zelenskyy.official)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to discuss territorial issues directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and has instructed his team to prepare face-to-face meeting, Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axios.
According to Zelenskyy, the best way to achieve a breakthrough on territorial matters is through a face-to-face meeting with Putin.
The President also revealed that he had instructed his team to raise the issue of a future leaders’ meeting during the talks in Geneva.
Geneva meeting
On February 17–18, the third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is taking place in Geneva under US mediation.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, said the team is working constructively, with focus and without unnecessary expectations.
The main stumbling block in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia remains the issue of territory. Russia is putting forward tough demands, seeking full control over the Donetsk region.
Ukraine, however, has no intention of ceding its territory to Russia and insists on a ceasefire along the current line of contact.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker emphasized that territorial issues remain the most difficult problem in the negotiations. He stated that to end the war, both countries must find terms that are acceptable to Ukraine and that Russia will agree to.
RBC-Ukraine also reported that Russian State Duma Defense Committee Deputy Chairperson Alexei Zhuravlyov said Russia "will not be satisfied" with only the transfer of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
Recently, Zelenskyy publicly invited the Kremlin leader to Kyiv "if he dares." His remarks came amid repeated statements from Russia that a meeting between the two leaders would only be possible in Moscow.
