Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mentioned he’s making ready for his assembly with Donald Trump – as Vladimir Putin issued his first feedback following the US-Russia talks on the struggle in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president will fly to Washington DC for the subsequent stage of talks on Monday, which may pave the way in which for a three-way assembly alongside the Russian chief, Mr Trump has mentioned.
It comes following a high-profile summit between the US president and Mr Putin, held in Alaska on Friday.
US-Russia talks on Ukraine – newest updates
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Pic: AP/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson
The US president had closely previewed the talks, threatening sanctions for Russia ought to there be no settlement on a ceasefire.
On Saturday, Mr Trump appeared to alter his stance on what he hopes to attain from the talks, indicating he needs a everlasting peace settlement relatively than a ceasefire, and introduced the follow-up assembly with Mr Zelenskyy.
In a put up on X, the Ukrainian president mentioned he was grateful for the invitation and added: “It is important that everyone agrees there needs to be a conversation at the level of leaders to clarify all the details and determine which steps are necessary and will work.”
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Pic: Sergei Bobylev/ Sputnik/ Kremlin pool by way of AP
Nonetheless, he mentioned Russia had rebuffed “numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing”, which “complicates the situation”.
Mr Zelenskyy continued: “If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades.
“However collectively we’re working for peace and safety. Stopping the killing is a key component of stopping the struggle.”
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Trump and Putin in Alaska – The Debrief
The Ukrainian president’s final go to to the White Home earlier this yr descended right into a fiery spat with Mr Trump and his vp JD Vance that noticed him go away early.
Mr Putin issued his first assertion on Saturday afternoon following the Friday’s summit, describing the talks as “timely and quite useful” – however mentioned the “removal” of what he calls the “root causes” of the disaster “must underlie the settlement”.
He continued: “We definitely respect the US administration’s position which wants the hostilities to stop as soon as possible. So do we, and we would like to move forward with settling all issues by peaceful means.
“The dialog was very frank and substantive, which, in my opinion, strikes us nearer in the direction of making vital choices.”
US envoy Steve Witkoff instructed Ukraine’s chief that Mr Putin had mentioned there might be no ceasefire with out this, and that the Russian president may pledge to not launch any new aggression towards Ukraine as a part of an association.
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Keir Starmer welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Avenue earlier this week. Pic: AP/ Kirsty Wigglesworth
In the meantime, European leaders who make up the “coalition of the willing” are set to carry a convention name tomorrow forward of the crunch talks between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy.
In a press release on Saturday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned the US chief’s efforts had “brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” and that his management “in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended”.
He mentioned he supported the subsequent part of talks, however added: “In the meantime, until (Putin) stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions.”
