ISTANBUL
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said the US is proposing that Moscow and Kyiv end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war “by the beginning of this summer.”
“The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer, and will probably put pressure on the parties according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said in remarks to journalists published by Ukrainian media outlets, including state news agency Ukrinform.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian side understands that “internal issues” in the US have an impact on this deadline, particularly referring to the start of the election campaign for the midterm elections in the US later this year.
Responding to a question on whether this means the US may withdraw from peace talks if this deadline is not met, Zelenskyy said he did not receive such a signal from Ukraine’s delegation when briefed on recent talks in the UAE and that it is “desirable” for Kyiv that the US does not do so.
“They will probably just have a different priority — Congress … Let’s not be naive. And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to ensure that the war ends,” he added.
He went on to say Ukraine will offer the US a “sequence plan” for adopting documents related to the end of the war, which will mark its fourth year later this month, and that the American side has already put forward initiatives to have all agreements related to the end of the conflict signed at about the same time.
The Ukrainian president’s remarks follow two-day negotiations between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 4-5, after which Russia and Ukraine held their first prisoner exchange in five months.
Prior to these negotiations earlier this week, an initial round of trilateral talks took place on Jan. 23-24, also in the UAE capital.
Speaking about the negotiations in the Emirati capital, Zelenskyy said the US has proposed to host a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams for the first time, specifying that this meeting will take place “probably in Miami, in a week.”
He further said the US suggested that both Russia and Ukraine once again support President Donald Trump’s initiative to halt energy strikes, adding that Kyiv has confirmed its support but Moscow has yet to do so.
Zelenskyy said teams from Moscow and Kyiv will continue to work on future prisoner swaps, while a package for Ukraine’s post-war recovery will be concluded trilaterally, involving his country, the US, and Europe.
He also said French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking an “alternative” dialogue with Russia so that Europe is present in the ongoing negotiation process surrounding Ukraine.
Concerning a potential ceasefire, Zelenskyy said the US agreed to participate in its monitoring, together with Russia and Ukraine, once an agreement is reached on its implementation, and that discussions are underway between delegations on “determining the details.”
“A common understanding has not yet been found regarding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Zelenskyy said, while stating that broader territorial issues have also not been resolved during the talks.
He reaffirmed his position that territorial issues should be resolved at the level of the leaders, confirming his readiness for such negotiations.
