President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is ready for peace negotiations with Russia and the United States anywhere except Russia and Belarus. He also hopes that new diplomatic meetings will take place in the near future.
He said this in response to a question in a chat with journalists of leading media, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
Zelensky said that despite the fact that Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbass, this does not mean that the negotiation process has come to a standstill.
According to the president, Ukrainian diplomats are ready to meet “in any format and anywhere,” except for Russia and Belarus. He stressed that now the “ball is on the side” of the United States and Russia on peace negotiations.
“There should be a trilateral meeting. It is postponed, of course, because the focus of the United States of America today is on Iran. This is understandable, but i really want no one to forget about the war of Russia against Ukraine. I am grateful to Europe, which does not forget, and many representatives from the United States constantly raise this issue,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy rejected claims that Ukraine is “at an impasse” and added: “Let Russia give up and we won’t.”
“We must organize a trilateral meeting and must go further along the diplomatic track. However, in order to be strong at the negotiating table, you have to be strong on the battlefield. For this, I am grateful to the Armed Forces, because today we are much stronger than half a year ago,” Zelensky added.
The main theses:
Ukraine did not transmit to the Russian Federation proposals for an “energy truce” through intermediaries. Kyiv is ready to stop attacks on the energy sector if Russia does the same. Ukraine is also ready for a truce at Easter, and in general for compromises, but not at the cost of sovereignty. At the same time, the trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia is postponed due to the war in the Middle East and now the ball is on the side of Washington and Moscow.
Strategic cooperation with the countries of the Middle East will open the export of defense technologies, but with an emphasis on partnership, not “sale” of experience. The use of the Ukrainian experience of sea drones for the safety of navigation is being discussed. During the meetings in the Middle East, the supply of PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine was discussed.
New defense agreements with the countries of the region are planned, and the number of Ukrainian specialists abroad will depend on the results of the negotiations.
The president did not contact Israel before the Middle East tour, so there was no visit to the country.
Zelensky responded to Rheinmetall’s statement about “housewives with 3D printers,” saying that if every housewife of Ukraine can produce drones, then every housewife can be the CEO of Rheinmetall.
Photo – president.gov.ua
