In a significant development at the recent Geneva talks, Russia has expressed its willingness to accept the United States’ proposal for providing post-war security guarantees to Ukraine. This revelation was made by Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during an interview aired on Ukrainian television.
Simultaneously, U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing both Moscow and Kyiv towards a peace agreement to end what is being termed the largest European conflict since 1945. However, Zelenskiy highlighted the mounting pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, emphasizing his country’s demand for robust security guarantees from the U.S. and European allies to act decisively if Russia were to breach any future peace agreement.
The Geneva talks, held last week, concluded without a major breakthrough, described as challenging by both Kyiv and Moscow, though the U.S. acknowledged some ‘meaningful progress.’ Kyrylo Budanov also confirmed that a proposed summit between Presidents Zelenskiy and Putin is yet to be agreed upon by Russia, despite the U.S. envoy’s earlier suggestions.
(With inputs from agencies.)