Zelenskiy said the US is offering a new mechanism for negotiations that includes Russia and Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Saturday that the United States has proposed a possible new arrangement for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in which American and maybe European envoys would participate.
Zelenskiy stated that he intended to address the issue with Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s delegation, and that Kyiv will choose the format after it is evident whether bilateral talks with U.S. negotiators, which commenced on Friday, are fruitful.
He did not elaborate on the format that President Donald Trump’s administration had suggested when he spoke to media in Kyiv.
“The United States said that they would meet separately with Russian officials. And, from what I gather, they suggested the following structure: Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and, given the presence of European representatives, most likely Europe as well,” Zelenskiy stated.
On Saturday, U.S. negotiators were scheduled to meet Russian officials in Florida.
Although face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have not taken place since July, U.S.-backed shuttle diplomacy to settle the almost four-year-old conflict in Ukraine has gotten more intense in recent weeks.
Representatives from Ukraine and Europe met with their American counterparts in the U.S. on Friday and decided to get back in touch shortly, Umerov added.
