Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin: 'Sometimes we need it. Even if we don't love faces'
The Ukrainian leader noted that an order should be followed in the negotiations, starting with a ceasefire.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured this weekend that he is "ready" to sit down face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war. However, he warned that any meeting must start from a cease-fire agreement as a first step.
He made the remarks in Kiev during the Yalta European Strategy Conference, in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria that aired on Sunday. Zelensky, in a serious tone, though with a wry comment that generated laughter in the room, said, "Sometimes we need it. Even if we don't love faces."
Ukrainian conditions and priorities
The Ukrainian leader pointed out that there is an order in the negotiations. First, a ceasefire with clear results. Then, a possible direct meeting with Putin to address the more complex issues, including territorial disputes. Zelenski made it clear that he does not want mediators at the table, although he does want the backing of allies such as the United States and Europe.
When asked whether he would accept territorial concessions, he insisted that they are not part of his current priorities. Today, Russia maintains full control of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporiyia and Kherson, in addition to Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Trump's role in the process
In those talks in Washington, Trump stated that a cease-fire should not be a requirement for the two sides to meet, a position that appears to contrast with Zelensky's, who sees that condition as the indispensable first step in moving toward peace.
LATEST
