Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated his openness to holding a high-level meeting involving the leaders of Ukraine, the USA, and the Russian Federation. According to him, the format of the negotiations can be either bilateral or trilateral, depending on the wishes of the parties involved.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Zelensky on Possible Formats for Negotiations
The head of state emphasized that he does not oppose any format of the meeting and is ready to participate in negotiations in any composition.
“If Putin is not satisfied with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I am not against it. I am ready for any format,” he told reporters.
Zelensky also expressed readiness for a summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, stressing that both the American and Russian sides are informed about this initiative. He noted that Ukraine supports both the “Trump-Putin-Zelensky” format and phased meetings in the format of “Trump-Putin,” “Trump-Zelensky,” and then in a trio.
Possible Venues for Negotiations and Outcomes of the Meeting
The president reported that Russia proposed to hold peace talks in Belarus. However, Ukraine did not agree to such a location due to Belarus’s involvement in the war against Ukraine, which began in 2022. As an alternative, Zelensky suggested neutral countries, including Turkey, Switzerland, and the Vatican.
On May 11, Russian President Putin initiated direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15, emphasizing that the meeting could take place “without any preconditions.” However, this proposal came in response to calls from the USA, Ukraine, and European partners for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which Russia refused to support.
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his readiness for a personal conversation with Putin. US President Donald Trump also expressed his willingness to participate in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, depending on their progress.
It is noted that the Kremlin initially did not confirm Putin’s participation in the negotiations. Only on May 14 was the composition of the Russian delegation announced, which did not include him.
As a result of the negotiations that took place at the delegation level, no significant breakthrough was achieved. At the same time, the parties managed to agree on a large-scale prisoner exchange in the format of “one thousand for one thousand.” The final stage of this exchange was completed on May 25.