Zelensky breaks silence on Russia peace talks as he makes 1 key demand | World | News
Volodymyr Zelensky broke his silence on the progress of ongoing negotiations between leading Ukrainian, Russian and US officials. The three delegations wrapped up talks on the first day of a two-day summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they sought a breakthrough for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The trilateral talks took place just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the agreement in Ukraine. Donald Trump‘s ambassadors Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in long talks that lasted throughout the night. The Kremlin has insisted that to reach a peace deal, Kiev must withdraw its troops from eastern regions that Russia has illegally annexed but never fully captured. In his statement after his meeting with Trump, Zelensky said that peace proposals were “almost ready” while the future status of the lands currently occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine has not yet been resolved. The Ukrainian president spoke on the first day of talks in a video now published on account X, insisting that Russia must meet one key condition.
Alongside this video, he wrote: “The Ukrainian diplomatic team reports almost every hour from the UAE, where a meeting took place today with the participation of delegations of Ukraine, America and Russia. They are discussing the parameters for ending the war.”
“By now our team should have received at least some answers from Russia. The important thing is that Russia must be ready to end the war it started.
“Ukraine’s position is clear. I defined the framework of dialogue for our delegation.
“As for the essence of today’s discussions, it is too early to reach a conclusion. We will see tomorrow how the meeting will develop and what consequences it will produce.
“Not only must Ukraine have a desire to end the war and ensure full security, but the same desire must somehow emerge in Russia.”
The high-stakes summit is being closely watched around the world as pressure to finally end the brutal conflict intensifies.
The talks mark the first time senior officials from the three countries have met to broker a ceasefire since the start of the full-scale invasion. But hopes for a breakthrough remain fragile due to sharply opposing demands from Kyiv and Moscow.
Territorial disputes remain the main obstacle to negotiations, especially in the eastern Donbas region. Vladimir Putin has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the remaining parts of Donetsk that Kiev still controls, even though Russia has failed to fully capture the region during years of conflict.
But while analysts and polls suggest there is little public support for territorial concessions in Ukraine, Zelensky has refused to give up any land. The Kremlin said full control of Donbas remained a “very important condition” for peace.
The Ukrainian president also announced that he had received security guarantees from the United States, which he said was crucial for a lasting agreement.
He called the two-day Abu Dhabi summit “a hopeful step towards ending the war” but warned that many possible outcomes remain.
