“We confirmed that we are ready for a trilateral meeting, and if Russia proposes a bilateral meeting to the President of the United States, then we will see the result of the bilateral meeting”, Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said he is ready to join a trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia to push forward efforts for peace and seek a resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict after his landmark meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. He added that date of the meeting is yet to be decided.
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy clarified that no date has been set for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. โWe confirmed that we are ready for a trilateral meeting, and if Russia proposes a bilateral meeting to the President of the United States, then we will see the result of the bilateral meeting. After that, we can go for a trilateral,โ he said. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine “will never stop on the way to peace”ย and remains open to “any kind of format, but on the level of leaders.”
Trump’s high-level meetings
The development comes after US President Donald Trump held back-to-back meetings at the White House, first privately with Zelenskyy and later with European leaders. Shortly after, Trump phoned Putin to discuss next steps in resolving the nearly four-year-long conflict in Ukraine.
โAt the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,โ Trump wrote on Truth Social. โAfter that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, the two Presidents, plus myself,โ he added.
Important outcomes
Following the meeting,ย French President Emmanuel Macron said the most important outcome of recent talks was Washington’s pledge to work with European partners on providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, announced he would move forward with plans for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Monday while holding discussions with Zelenskyy, as well as with the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany and Italy, along with the president of the European Commission and the head of NATO.
The latest developments come amid unease in Europe that Trump may pressure Ukraine into concessions that could strengthen Putin. Concerns have intensified following Trumpโs summit with the Russian leader in Alaska last week.
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