Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said that Turkey, Gulf States, or European countries could serve as hosts for any direct talks he may hold with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky listens to German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP)
Zelensky has been pushing for direct negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, though Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said that no agenda has yet been prepared for such a meeting.
“Now, this week there will be contacts with Turkey, contacts with the Gulf States and with European states which could host talks with the Russians,” Reuters quoted Zelensky as saying in his video address.
“From our side, things will be prepared to the maximum in order to end the war,” he added.
Zelensky’s remarks came as his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Ukraine’s national security council chief were in Qatar to meet with the country’s defence minister.
The Ukrainian President also added that any progress toward talks would depend on close coordination with Ukraine’s international partners, particularly the United States, to ensure sufficient pressure is applied on Russia.
He said these matters were discussed on Monday in Kyiv with United States envoy Keith Kellogg.
“Everything further depends strictly on the will of world leaders, most importantly the United States of America, to put pressure on Russia,” Zelenskiy said.
“Russia is only giving signals that it is going to continue to avoid real negotiations. This can only be changed by strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure,” the Ukrainian President added.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that he is prepared to impose economic sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin fails to agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“It’s very, very serious what I have in mind, if I have to do it, but I want to see it end,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday when asked whether Putin would face consequences.
“We have economic sanctions. I’m talking about economic because we’re not going to get into a world war,” he said.
Trump is pushing for direct, one-on-one talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin. While Zelensky has agreed in principle to such negotiations, the Kremlin has indicated that no meeting is currently planned.