Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he sees no point in a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and prefers a meeting at which concrete steps toward ending the war can be discussed.
“A phone call would be a formal and dry exchange, during which I would once again have to listen to a history lecture from the Russian leader instead of discussing real steps toward actually ending the war,” Zelensky said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to him, talks between the two presidents should begin with a practical objective. “We need to sit down, negotiate and show where the other side is wrong. If we want to end the war, we need to meet and take the first step: a ceasefire,” the Ukrainian president said.
Kyiv Rejects Invitation to Moscow
Zelensky described the invitation to visit Moscow as counterproductive. He said that Ukraine is not inviting Putin to Kyiv because such a gesture would not lead to an actual meeting.
“Issuing an invitation just so the other side does not show up is counterproductive. In the same vein, Russia’s invitation for me to visit Moscow is also counterproductive,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president also pointed to the reason Kyiv does not accept such a format: Russian troops entered Ukraine in 2022 without an invitation. According to him, the proposal to visit Moscow is “a slap in the face to the entire world that wants this war to end.”
The Condition Is a Ceasefire
Zelensky said that a ceasefire could be achieved even without an official meeting between him and Putin if Russia demonstrates the necessary political will. He added, however, that Kyiv sees no such willingness.
Ukraine is ready to discuss a trilateral format with the United States and Russia if it is part of a de-escalation process. Zelensky added that Europe must be present in all talks related to peace, including when the negotiations are between Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
Preparations for Talks in Abu Dhabi
U.S. President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia are planned for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. According to Germany’s public broadcaster ARD, the meeting would be the first in this format since February.
Zelensky said that following talks between European leaders and Putin, the impression remained that Moscow was taking the meeting of the negotiating teams seriously.
Before the talks in Abu Dhabi, a meeting on security guarantees for Ukraine is scheduled for November 4 at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The upcoming diplomatic contacts should clarify whether the trilateral format will lead to real steps toward ending the hostilities.
Sources: news.bg, axios.com, tagesschau.de