Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was willing to enter into direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin under certain conditions.
Advertisement
In addition to Ukraine and Russia, the United States and Europe should also be involved in the talks, Zelensky told British journalist Piers Morgan in an interview published on YouTube late on Tuesday.
It was unclear whether Zelensky was referring to the European Union or to individual member states.
“If this is the only way to bring peace to the people of Ukraine and to avoid further loss of life, we will definitely go to this meeting with these four participants,” he said.
“I will not be nice to him, I consider him an enemy, and frankly, I think he considers me an enemy too,” Zelensky added.
Putin has recently emphasised that he is willing to negotiate, but has maintained that Zelensky has blocked any talks with him. Putin is referring to a decree signed by Zelensky in September 2022, after Russia annexed the four partially occupied Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.