Zelenski announces that Ukraine will be ready to discuss with Russia “in any format” after a cessation of fire
Volodimir Zelenski. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Office / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
President Volodimir Zelenski said on Tuesday that Ukraine will be willing to discuss with Russia in any format once a fire termination agreement will be implemented and the battles will stop, reports Reuters.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader told reporters that the delegation that will represent the country at the London meeting on Wednesday will have the mandate to discuss a partial or total armistice.
“We are ready to record that, after an armistice, we are ready to sit in discussions in any format, so that there are no impasses,” Zenski said in the Presidential Bureau of Kiev.
“It will not be possible to quickly agree on all things,” he added, mentioning many extremely complex issues, such as territory, security guarantees and membership of Ukraine in NATO.
Ukraine will not recognize Russia's jury control in Crimea
President Zelenski said that Ukraine will not recognize Moscow's jure control over Crimea Peninsula in any way, as such a step would conflict with the Ukrainian Constitution. Russia occupied it in 2014 and annexed it.
Ukraine, said Volodimir Zelenski, would be ready to collaborate with the US to restore the functioning of the Zaporojie nuclear power plant, which is under Russian occupation. However, according to the Ukrainian president, there was no formal proposal from Washington in this regard.
Discussions in London, which will participate in US officials, UK, France, Germany and Ukraine, take place in the context of Washington's diplomatic efforts to find a way to end Russia against Ukraine.
In an apparent plan change, a US State Department spokesman has announced that Secretary Marco Rubio will not take part in the discussions in London, but the special emissary for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will participate.
Volodimir Zelenski said he was delighted to have a meeting with Donald Trump on the next weekend, when the two heads of state and other world leaders will participate in Pope Francis's funerals.
He mentioned that Ukraine will intensify its diplomatic efforts this week, which will meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as to leaders in Spain, Poland and Czech Republic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to stop the invasion of Ukraine along the current line of the front, as part of the efforts to reach a peace agreement with US President Donald Trump, wrote Financial Times (FT) on Tuesday, citing familiar people with this subject, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin spokesman has questioned the accuracy of the information in the article of the British publication.
“A lot of forgeries are published now, including those published by respected publications, so we should listen only to primary sources,” said Dmitri Peskov for the Russian State Agency RIA Novosti.
