Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is open to direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the ongoing war, which lasted for nearly three years. He made this statement in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, which was posted on YouTube on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy said that if direct negotiations with Putin were the only way to bring peace to Ukraine and prevent further loss of life, he would agree to them. However, he clarified that he does not view Putin in a positive light. “I will not be kind to him. I consider him an enemy. To be honest, I think he considers me an enemy, too,” he said. Earlier, Putin had said he was open to holding talks with Ukraine but refused to speak directly with Zelenskyy, calling him “illegitimate.”
Ukraine’s challenges in war
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine has been struggling to resist Russian forces and admitted that some of the lost territories might not be regained. He pointed out that the support from Ukraine’s allies, including the United States and European countries, has not been enough to completely push Russian forces out of Ukrainian land.
“If people believe we must move to the diplomatic track, and I believe we are ready to move to the diplomatic track, there must be the US, Europe, Ukraine, and Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
He also provided updated casualty figures, saying that Ukraine has lost 45,100 soldiers, while about 390,000 have been injured. According to him, Russia has suffered heavier losses, with 350,000 troops killed and between 600,000 and 700,000 injured.
Zelenskyy reiterated his demand for security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression. He said that Ukraine’s best option for long-term security remains joining NATO. “What will be defending us against this evil for this whole time? What support package? Which missiles? Will we be given nuclear weapons?” he asked.
Trump’s position on war
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a quick end to the war. On Monday, he said he wanted to reach an agreement with Ukraine that would allow the US to gain access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. He suggested that future American support for Ukraine could be conditional on this deal.
“Ukraine has very valuable rare earth. We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” Trump said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump had previously claimed that if he had been in power in 2022, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine. Putin also recently stated that the Ukraine conflict might not have happened if Trump had been the US President at the time.
