President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the Ukrainian delegation at the trilateral talks in Geneva to raise the issue of a future meeting with Vladimir Putin at the level of heads of state.
The head of state said this in an interview with Axios.
Details of the negotiations
After the first day of talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, Zelenskyy commented on the need for further steps to achieve progress. He noted that in order to reach a breakthrough on territorial issues, a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin is necessary. In his view, a “face-to-face” format could be the most effective way to advance the negotiation process.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported on the evening of February 17 about the progress of the talks. After the joint session, the sides continued working in separate groups according to their respective areas of focus. The discussions were centered on practical mechanisms for possible solutions. The Ukrainian side thanked its American partners for constructive cooperation.
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council added that the participants will report the results of the first day of talks to the president. The political and military groups will continue their work the following morning.
Zelenskyy on a referendum regarding a peace agreement
The president also stated that any peace agreement must be put to a nationwide referendum.
He emphasized that if the agreements provide for a unilateral withdrawal of Ukraine from territories or concessions on sovereignty, Ukrainian society will not support them. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainians’ reaction to a possible renunciation of Donbas would be unequivocally negative.
The head of state stressed that Donbas is part of Ukraine and home to Ukrainian citizens. Any decision on territorial concessions is impossible without the consent of the people. At the same time, Ukraine is ready to discuss security mechanisms or a temporary freeze along the front line.
Context
Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that the Kremlin is not demonstrating readiness to end the war against Ukraine. The territorial issue, particularly regarding the country’s east, remains key. At present, there is no compromise solution within the framework of the negotiation process.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that the U.S. administration is not certain whether Russia is truly committed to peace in the war against Ukraine.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported on the speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference. He stated that Russia is not ready for serious negotiations to end the war against Ukraine and would agree to peace only after military and economic exhaustion.
