Zelenskyy says he ready to meet with Putin in any format

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed that he is ready to meet with the Russian leader in any format, as long as Vladimir Putin's words are matched by his actions.

Source: Zelenskyy at an online briefing during his return from the US

Details: Responding to questions about whether he would meet Putin, whether this had been discussed during his conversation with the US president, in what format such a meeting could take place, whether the Kremlin leader was personally prepared to meet and negotiate, or whether he would continue to communicate exclusively through the US negotiating team, Zelenskyy said he found the communication between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin puzzling.

He noted that, on the one hand, the US president says he wants to end the war and that this is his intention, while on the other hand, he publicly relays Putin's messages in the media – messages from a leader who "wants to continue the war, strikes Ukraine with missiles, openly talks about it, celebrates the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and gives orders to his generals about where to advance and what to seize".

"In my view, these actions do not align with the peace-oriented – supposedly peace-oriented – language he uses in dialogue with the President of the United States," Zelenskyy said. In the meantime, he emphasised that Ukraine is ready for negotiations in any format.

Quote: "I told the President [Trump] that, in my view, these messages have somewhat different natures. But once again: how to meet and in what format to negotiate – it makes no difference to us. We are ready. What matters is that the actions and the words of Russia's leader coincide."

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