Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had accepted the US offer to hold another round of talks next week to end the war with Russia.
Points of attention
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is gearing up for another round of peace talks with Russia, focusing on resolving the conflict in Donbas.
- The US proposal for a buffer zone in eastern Ukraine will be discussed, although both sides are currently skeptical about the idea of a free economic zone.
There will be a discussion on the Donbas issue — Zelenskyy
According to Zelensky, another round of peace talks is scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, although it is currently unclear whether Russia will agree to these talks in the United States.
The US proposal to create a free economic zone as a buffer in eastern Donetsk region is on the agenda. However, according to the Ukrainian President, both sides of the conflict are skeptical of this option.
Neither side is interested in the idea of a free economic zone — neither the Russians nor we. We have different views on this. And the agreements were — let's come back to the next meeting with a vision of what it could look like.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
He noted that in discussions about who will control this buffer zone, the US should clarify its position. "If this is our territory, and this is our territory, then the country whose territory it is should govern it," Zelensky is convinced.
The head of state also said that the Trump administration wants to sign all the documents at the same time.
He believes that Ukraine will need to approve the peace agreement either in a parliamentary vote or in a national referendum.
So far, we are also talking about a plan for the sequence of all our actions, including signing documents. I think there should be an understanding after our next meeting.
The President said recent talks in the United Arab Emirates focused on the mechanisms for a ceasefire and how it would be monitored by the United States. However, he said negotiators were unable to finalize details without high-level political decisions.
As negotiators carefully search for the wording of a future agreement, Zelensky said discussions have made it clear that any ceasefire will require monitoring with US involvement.
The Russians have one wording, we have another, the Americans have a third. There is an understanding that there will be monitoring, but there is also an understanding that additional work is needed on the wording and details.
