Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelenki said on Friday that Kiev officials would like to meet with his US Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss Russia’s efforts to end more than three years of war.
The proposed conference appears to aim to add momentum to the promotion of peace as Zelensky expressed his dissatisfaction with what he called Russia’s lack of constructive involvement in the process.
Trump said he expected Russian leader Vladimir Putin to trouble with the US proposal for a direct peace conference with Zelensky and to decide on the next step two weeks if in person meetings were not scheduled a week ago.
Last month, the US president accused Putin of “we will have a good talk and then bomb everyone.”
However, he also cheated Ukrainian attacks on Russia, causing at least 23 people to pose public denunciation from the White House due to major missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight on Thursday.
Andry Yahmack, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, is expected to discuss preparations for the upcoming meeting to meet with Trump’s special mission, Steve Witkov, in New York on Friday.
Zelenskyy told reporters for Kyiv that he was hoping for “several meetings at different venues” with European leaders next week.
He said Ukrainian negotiators are trying to advance the peace process through consultations in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and the United States.
Ukraine accepted the US proposal for a ceasefire and a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but Moscow objected.
Ukraine wants to involve leaders
Zelensky accused Russia of dragging negotiations, including postponing the Russian Ukraine Summit.
The reasoning is “artificial… because they want to show the United States that they are constructive but not constructive,” Zelenskyy said.
“In my opinion, leaders must be urgently involved to reach an agreement,” Zelensky said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated his longtime position in Moscow on Friday, saying Putin “doesn’t rule out” meeting Zelensky.
“The summit needs to be prepared enough to confirm the work that needs to be carried out first at the expert level,” Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call.
“At this point, we can’t say that the professional work is in full swing. No, no, unfortunately, not. We maintain our interest and preparation for these negotiations.”
Zelenskyy says more weapons are essential for security
Zelensky urged rapid secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia, thereby supporting the war economy.
Possibility of postwar security guarantees assessed by Western countries to stop another Russian invasion in the future should include a safe supply of Ukrainian weapons, either through domestic production or Western supplies, and through US weapons paid by Europe.
Zelenskyy’s comments have gone down to 23, including four children, after the death toll from major Russian missiles and Kyiv drone strikes fell to 23, officials said Friday.
Ukraine needs a more sophisticated Western air defense system to counter such attacks.
More diplomatic moves ahead
Putin will be attending a meeting in China starting Sunday, including Iran and North Korea. Iran and North Korea support Russia’s war efforts.
From September 9th, world leaders are expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
The Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, said the recent US president avoided taking away a more severe line with Putin for fear of a potential nuclear conflict.
“President Putin knows that Washington and its allies are capable of reversing interests in Ukraine, but he is almost certain he suspects that the United States is willing to do so,” the Atlantic Council said in an assessment this week.
“The second Trump administration has repeatedly signaled that the US has no significant interests in this war,” he added.
Additional sources •AP
