The head of the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Kirill Budanov said during a visit to Lithuania that Ukraine is ready for a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, provided that the Kremlin is really ready to engage in negotiations, reports "Ukrinform"
Talks between Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will not happen suddenly, but if Russia's signals for dialogue are sincere, Ukraine "will also be ready," Budanov said.
It is noted that on Sunday, after his visit to Moscow, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that if Zelensky wants to meet with Putin for negotiations, he should call directly to the Kremlin leader. According to Fico, this was Putin's response after the Slovak Prime Minister conveyed Zelensky's readiness to meet with the Russian leader in any format.
When asked by journalists about the possibility of such a meeting, Budanov joked that the interstate telephone lines between the warring parties had been cut off and that "such conversations are not made on mobile phones".
He added that Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated through its actions that "we support the cessation of the war and the achievement of peace".
"This is the official position of Ukraine, supported by the President of Ukraine. We support the cessation of hostilities. "I want to emphasize once again: achieving peace is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of common sense," Budanov stressed.
He also noted that the situation on the battlefield remains "stable," as does the Russian regime.
"But nothing in this world lasts forever," the former head of military intelligence added.