The Ukrainian president calls for a cease-fire before peace negotiations take place, while U.S. President Donald Trump repeats his pledge to finalize a deal.
Ukraine is ready for peace talks but is not prepared to withdraw its troops from additional territory first, as Russia has demanded, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.
Plans for a summit in Budapest this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were put on hold after Moscow held firm in its demands, including that Ukraine cede more territory as a condition for a cease-fire.
In comments to reporters, Zelenskyy said he was happy for talks to be held anywhere outside of Russia or Moscow’s close ally, Belarus.
Ukrainian and European officials are due to meet at the end of the week to discuss details of a cease-fire plan, Zelenskyy said, after meeting the visiting Dutch foreign minister David van Weel.
“It is not a plan to end the war. First of all, a cease-fire is needed,” Zelenskyy said.
“This is a plan to begin diplomacy. … Our advisers will meet in the coming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the details of this plan.”
Proposed Peace Talks in Hungary
Trump has backed Ukraine’s call for an immediate cease-fire on current lines.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelenskyy said he was happy to attend peace talks in Hungary, despite his reservations about some of the positions of its Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who, he said, “blocks everything for Ukraine.”
“If there will be results, then God bless—let the talks take place anywhere,” he said. “It almost doesn’t matter, just not in Russia, of course, and definitely not in Belarus.”
Zelenskyy called on the United States to pass tougher restrictions on Russia after Trump imposed sanctions on Moscow’s two biggest oil companies.
Continued Funding Needed
Ukraine would need continued funding from its European allies for another two or three years, Zelenskyy said.
The European Commission says that since the start of the conflict, the European Union has given $205.7 billion (177.5 billion euros) to Ukraine, while the United States provided $132.4 billion (113.7 billion euros) up until January.
In his Tuesday remarks, Zelenskyy said he hoped for China’s help to end the war by using its influence on Moscow.
“We would like very much for China to put pressure on Russia to end this war and not to assist its continuation in any way,” he said.
