Zelenskyy ready for personal meeting with Putin, foreign minister says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to personally meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss territorial issues and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an interview with European Pravda.
He reminded that, so far, two questions have remained the most challenging in the peace process: territorial issues and control over the ZNPP.
"It is precisely to resolve these issues that the President is ready to meet with Putin and discuss them," Sybiha said.
At the same time, he said that currently he does not see any need for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"We should not create parallel tracks. There are established negotiation teams that include representatives of the Foreign Ministry. Creating additional tracks is not timely and not necessary," the Ukrainian minister added.
According to him, the negotiation teams have already held talks on parameters for a ceasefire, as well as monitoring and verification of a truce.
Peace negotiations
Earlier, the first trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States took place in Abu Dhabi. They were positively received by the US side, which described the meeting as constructive.
The Ukrainian delegation, for its part, described the talks in the UAE as substantive. Participants discussed a wide range of military and political issues related to the possibility of halting hostilities.
The greatest progress was made in discussions on the military component, while the territorial issue remains unresolved.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff praised the consultations in Abu Dhabi. He also confirmed the parties’ readiness to continue the negotiation process and announced the next trilateral meeting scheduled for February 1.
