Volodymyr Zelensky: We will have a just peace, but maybe only after Putin

A just peace in Ukraine will probably come after Vladimir Putin is out of power. However, there is also an "intermediate solution", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, RBC-Ukraine reports.

According to the Ukrainian president, he currently does not see Putin's readiness to end a full-scale war.

He also notes that the West is not putting enough pressure on Russia. According to him, the United States of America "is engaged, but not 100%. Other countries, such as China or the countries of the Global South, are "restrained".

"We will have a just peace, but maybe only after Putin. But peace, which begins with a ceasefire and then further steps towards a lasting peace, can begin tomorrow," he added.

Zelensky did not give further details about the possible "interim solution" that Putin could overcome.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

On May 16, Turkey hosted the first direct meeting of representatives of Ukraine and the Russian Federation (RF) in the last 3 years, at which the parties discussed the possibility of stopping the full-scale war.

Zelensky arrived in the country that day, expecting a personal conversation with Putin, but the Russian president did not arrive at the meeting, but sent his own delegation.

At the meeting, the Ukrainian side was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and the Russian delegation was represented by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky. As part of the negotiations, a key issue was a major prisoner swap under the "1000 for 1000" scheme. This swap was carried out in three stages over the past weekend.

Meanwhile, yesterday, May 28, Russia proposed to Ukraine to hold a second round of talks on Monday, June 2, in Istanbul.