Ukraine is ready for peace talks anywhere except Russia and Belarus, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will not be the party to block peace talks and is ready to hold them in any country except Russia and Belarus.
He made these remarks in an interview with the American television network NBC News on March 28 in Qatar.
“We will never be the party that blocks (peace talks), delays, or postpones them, etc. And that is why we are ready to meet anywhere except Russia and Belarus—they are allies, and they are our enemies,” Zelenskyy noted.
According to him, the new conflict in the Middle East has further complicated diplomatic efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. The president added that the U.S. mediation team, led by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the White House chief’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would not be able to hold talks in a neutral location during the war against Iran.
Zelenskyy reported that the American side had proposed holding trilateral talks in the U.S., but Russia refused, even though its envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, had visited Florida for preliminary consultations.
The president also proposed alternative locations for potential talks—Turkey or Switzerland.
Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated that Europe must take on more responsibility in the peace negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the lack of a date for the next trilateral talks to security restrictions on the American side and Russia’s unwillingness to meet in Washington.
