8 hours agoZelensky: I'd talk to Putin just to protect Ukrainian lives.
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has stressed his readiness to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as long as it is the only form that can bring peace to Ukrainian citizens and not lose the “. When asked in interview with British journalist Pierce Morgan how [...]
When asked in an interview with British journalist Pierre Morgan how the one who could sit in front of Putin at a negotiating table felt, Zelensky said: “If this is the only structure in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, we will surely go to this organisation”.
He later said, without specifying who, that any such conversation would be with four participants. In an earlier interview over the weekend, however, he said that “would like to see the United States of America, Ukraine and Russians at the negotiating table... And, to be honest, a European Union voice must also be there”.
Any such conversation would have to happen after a meeting between him and US President Donald Trump, Zelensky said at the time.
Referring to Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said: “I will not be kind to him, I consider him an enemy. To be honest, I think he also considers me an enemy”.
In Tuesday's interview, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that his country would likely lose at least part of the territory it has taken from Russia since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022.
In a sharp criticism of Ukraine's supporters at war, Zelensky complained that “unfortunately, the support offered by our partners is insufficient to push Putin fully from our territory”.
However, he noted NATO membership as Ukraine's best chance to end the war and ensure the country's security.
In the interview, Zelensky estimated that the war dead in Ukraine were 45,100 and 390,000 injured. He claimed Russia had suffered 350,000 deaths and 700,000 injuries.
US President Donald Trump, whose future actions will be key to determining the outcome of the war, said during a press conference Tuesday that the US “is talking to the Russians, we are talking to Ukrainian leadership”. He didn't give any more details.
Last week, Putin said Russia would be “open to” for peace talks, but blamed, saying there was no will on its part to resolve legal issues. He also described Zelensky as the legitimate “” to lead a possible conversation and ruled out the possibility of talking to him directly, saying he would “set the right people” to participate in negotiations. /euronews
