Last Updated:
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for security guarantees to guard against future Russian actions. Putin had agreed to hold talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly to Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Reuters/File)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would agree to direct talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to end almost three years of war, as US President Donald Trump continues efforts to bring a quick end to the fighting.
In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan posted on YouTube on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, “If that is the only set-up in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, definitely we will go for this set-up.” He also said he would participate in talks with “four participants”.
“I will not be kind to him (Putin), I consider him an enemy. To be honest, I think he considers me an enemy, too,” said the Ukrainian leader. Earlier, Putin had agreed to hold talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly to Zelenskyy, calling him “illegitimate”.
ALSO READ: ‘Don’t Know Where It Went’: Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Received $75 Billion Out Of US-Approved $177 Billion
How Is Ukraine Faring Against Russia?
Zelenskyy has acknowledged that Kyiv has struggled to hold back Russian forces and that Ukraine is unlikely to get some of the territory it lost to Russia back after negotiations with the US. “Regrettably, the support that is provided by our partners is insufficient to push Putin fully out of our territories,” he said.
“If people believe we must move to the diplomatic track, and I believe we are ready to move to the diplomatic track, there must be the US, Europe, Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyy further told Morgan. Trump has suggested Washington and Moscow had already been in touch about Ukraine, but a top Russian diplomat said direct contacts were not yet underway.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian casualties stood at 45,100, with the number of injured at 390,000. On the other hand, Russia has lost 350,000 personnel with 600,000 and 700,000 injured, he said. the Ukrainian President also reiterated his call for security guarantees to guard against future Russian actions.
He said that a roadmap for Ukraine to join NATO remains Kyiv’s way to end fighting and get security guarantees. “What will be defending us against this evil for this whole time? What support package? Which missiles? Will we be given nuclear weapons?” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump on Monday said he wanted to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare earth materials. This, he said, will be a condition for continuing the US support to Ukraine for its war against Russia.
“Ukraine has very valuable rare earth. We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” Trump said as he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump has repeatedly said that if he was the President in 2022, Russia would not have been able to invade Ukraine in 2022. Putin also recently claimed that the Ukraine crisis might not have emerged if Trump was the President.
(with inputs from agencies)
