The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, assured that Russia is ready to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine, following both countries have held four rounds of negotiations to reach an agreement to defuse the conflict.
“Now the Russian side in the negotiations has begun to talk regarding something, not just issuing ultimatums (…) I think this is a fundamentally different approach. And this is how it should be”, said the Ukrainian president at a press conference held this Saturday in Kiev to which the Unian agency had access.
Zelensky has emphasized that the end of the war “must begin with a ceasefire.” “This will allow unblocking humanitarian processes: deportation of people, as well as the delivery of food, water and medicine (…) It would be a human, diplomatic signal, which always initiates the end of the war”, assured the Ukrainian leader, according to Unian.
Likewise, the president of Ukraine has been “happy” with this signal coming from Russia, since it has been open to dialogue “for the first time in more than two years”.
The president has also assured that he has had at least 100 conversations with the leaders of different countries, to whom he has offered “the opportunity” to be mediators in the conflict.
However, Zelensky considers the participation of Ukraine’s Western partners in these negotiations “insufficient”. “(Western powers) will not be able to trust Russia following such a bloody war. Therefore, the guarantee of peace must also be offered by other leaders”, said the president of Ukraine, in statements collected by Unian.
The Ukrainian president has maintained that within the negotiating agenda some world leaders “are in contact with the Russian leader”, and have taken the opportunity to make suggestions to Russia that are now being discussed by the Russian and Ukrainian parties in the negotiations.
“They have to discuss it. I know that the signals from Russia are not bad in terms of the proposals that have come from us. Let’s see,” said the Ukrainian president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had already spoken on Friday of moves in the peace efforts. Russian negotiators reported “certain positive changes” in the talks, which were held “practically every day,” according to the DPA agency.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, explained this Saturday to the Ukrainian agency Interfax that the talks between the two parties are being held by video call.