it-s-time-to-end-the-war-says-zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine is open to peace talks with Russia, adding that “it’s time to end the war,” as reports emerged of a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

In a message posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy said he had held talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during which they discussed the path towards ending the war in what he called “a dignified peace.” He added that the outcome would “determine the security conditions for Europe for decades.”

 

Zelenskyy also said that a day earlier, he had participated in a conversation exploring “potential formats for meetings for peace at the level of leaders in the near future,” including two bilateral and one trilateral framework.

 

“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same bold approach from the Russian side. It is time to end the war,” he wrote.

 

The remarks followed a recent visit to Moscow by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who held three hours of discussions with Putin focused on the Ukraine conflict. Russian officials described the talks as “constructive,” while the White House said the meeting yielded “better-than-expected” results.

 

Following the talks, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov announced that a meeting between Putin and Trump could take place as early as next week, though he did not name a venue. He confirmed that Witkoff had raised the idea of trilateral talks, but said the matter was not discussed in detail.

 

Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for a direct meeting with Putin. While Moscow has not ruled it out, Russian officials have stressed that any such summit must be preceded by detailed preparatory work at the expert level.

 

Meanwhile, Russia has continued to raise doubts over Zelenskyy’s authority to sign any binding agreements. Zelenskyy’s presidential term expired in 2024, but elections were not held due to martial law.

 

Moscow has since branded him “illegitimate” and stated that legal authority in Ukraine now lies with the parliament.