Zelenskyy: Ukraine is ready for negotiations with Russia, but the meeting place must be neutral

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine is consulting with American and European parties regarding a possible meeting with Russia. The format of the negotiations is still being discussed, but Kyiv insists: the meeting should take place on neutral European territory, not in Moscow or Budapest.

The President stated this during a conversation with journalists, writes UNN.

Details

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about coordination with Washington and European allies regarding possible negotiations with Russia. According to him, after recent meetings in Washington, where European leaders were also present, the parties agreed to create a working group to prepare a potential dialogue format.

From the American side, Rubio, Witkoff, and Vance joined it, and from the Ukrainian side – Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov and Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak.

We don't want any shadow, we want to coordinate with the Americans. And what I really wanted was for Europe to be present. The format of our meeting with President Trump allowed this. Their presence is important

The key topic of the consultations was security guarantees for Ukraine. The President expects that within 7-10 days, a basic "architecture" of these guarantees will be formed, resembling the principle of collective defense based on Article 5 of NATO.

After that, at Donald Trump's suggestion, a bilateral meeting with Russia may take place first, followed by a trilateral format with the participation of the USA.

I immediately reacted to the bilateral meeting. We are ready. But what if the "Russians" are not ready? The Europeans raised this question. If the "Russians" are not ready, then we would like to see a strong reaction from the United States to this

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready for dialogue, but insists: the meeting cannot take place in Moscow. Switzerland, Austria, or Turkey are being considered as potential locations.

At the same time, the Budapest option raises doubts due to Hungary's position, which openly opposes Ukraine's EU membership and has not shown sufficient support during the war.

I asked President Trump for Budapest not to block our accession to the European Union. President Trump promised that his team would work on this. And I believe that it is absolutely fair that Ukraine wants to join the European Union. It has every right to do so. This is our sovereign right. And here America will support us

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has already proven its right to exist as an independent state, and the whole world recognizes this. He stressed that the main task today is to achieve a just end to the war, gain a clear prospect of membership in the European Union, and create a reliable system of security guarantees for Ukrainians.

Recall

The Kremlin continues to evade a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, proposed by Trump. Moscow stated its readiness for negotiations in the "Istanbul format," which "differs from a meeting of heads of state."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin may meet by the end of the month. Five venue options are being considered, with Geneva considered the best.