The US proposed direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. What Zelenski says about possible talks without American mediation
Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron during the talks held at the White House on August 18, 2025. PHOTO: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Profimedia
The US has proposed the organization of the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in the last six months, in Miami, where new talks aimed at ending the war will take place, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, reports AFP and Reuters.
Volodymyr Zelensky did not rule out this possibility, but said that he is not “sure” that the format will lead to “new results”. On the other hand, he believes that direct talks between the representatives of Russia and Ukraine could lead to a prisoner exchange or an agreement for a meeting of the three leaders: Putin, Trump and Zelensky.
“We will consider all possibilities”
Regarding the possibility invoked by French President Emmanuel Macron, that the talks be mediated by European leaders, if those organized by the US do not yield results, Zelenski said that the current format is worth keeping, but “if it doesn't work, we will think about all the possibilities.”
Instead, Ukraine's president wants more firmness from the United States toward Russia. “The United States must say clearly: if there will not be a diplomatic way, then there will be total pressure,” the Ukrainian president told the press in Kiev, mentioning, among other things, the possibility of supplying more weapons to Ukraine and extending sanctions to the entire Russian economy.
“Vladimir Putin is not yet feeling the kind of pressure that should be applied,” he continued, arguing that only the Americans are capable of persuading Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“I think that the United States and President Trump have this power. And I think that we should not look for alternatives in the United States,” Zelenskiy insisted.
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New talks in Miami
In the meantime, Russian envoy Kiril Dmitriev arrived in Miami on Saturday, where Ukrainian and European teams are already present to participate in the talks led by Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the US president.
As diplomatic negotiations continue, the Russian military continues to attack the city of Odesa and its surroundings in southern Ukraine, with the attacks causing a major fire at the country's largest vegetable oil terminal on Saturday, where one employee died.
The Russians have stepped up their bombing campaign in recent weeks on this Black Sea region, where tens of thousands of people have been left without electricity, raids largely seen as retaliation for increasing Ukrainian attacks on oil tankers belonging to Russia's “ghost fleet”.
“The enemy is deliberately destroying the logistics infrastructure of the Odesa region and terrorizing civilians,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba wrote on Telegram.
“Russia is again trying to restrict Ukraine's access to the sea and block our coastal regions,” denounced Zelenskiy in his press statements on Saturday.
