Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said territorial issues in any potential peace settlement cannot be resolved at the level of negotiating teams. He said this would require a face-to-face meeting with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Czech Radio that territorial issues can only be resolved at the level of national leaders. He said that without direct contact with the Russian Federation and its leader, negotiating teams would not be able to reach agreements on territorial matters.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is considering talks in various formats involving Russia and the United States, and supports European participation at certain stages of the process. He added that Ukraine’s security guarantees include European integration and support from partners.
He also said the “last mile” of negotiations is always the most difficult, and that it is currently hard to judge how close the sides are to a result. According to Zelenskyy, painful issues remain in the plan to end the war, including territorial questions, which he believes no one but national leaders can resolve.