Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg that he would not object to Europe engaging with Russia if Russian leader Vladimir Putin understood the seriousness of these negotiations.
In response to a question about recent statements by European leaders calling for the resumption of dialogue with Moscow, he said:
“I am not against Europe negotiating with Russia, especially now that pressure from the United States is increasing and Europe has started talking about security guarantees. We are moving towards the final stage, even if we do not yet know what it will look like.“
Zelensky stressed that Russia's actions show its unwillingness to engage in real diplomacy. He added that Ukraine would never recognize the territories occupied by Russia, although he hopes to restore sovereignty over all of its territory in the future.
The president also called on the United States to respond more systematically to Russian aggression, noting that Ukraine has not yet received all of the Patriot missile defense systems and ammunition it promised.
Zelensky said that Ukraine had submitted its comments on the territorial proposals to the American team, which would then forward them to its Russian counterparts for comments, which could then be passed on to Kiev.
The Ukrainian leader said he hoped to receive Russia's response to the 20-point framework agreement while he finalizes security guarantees and a recovery plan with U.S. President Donald Trump.
He said that could happen as early as the end of this month. He added that he expects to meet with Trump either in the United States or in Davos, Switzerland, where both leaders plan to attend the World Economic Forum.
Zelensky also said he wants to personally discuss with Trump specific US commitments in the event of renewed Russian aggression. The president added:
“I don't want everything to boil down to a simple promise of a response. I really want something more specific.“
It is noted that while Kiev's talks with its allies on security guarantees have made significant progress in recent weeks, territorial issues remain the main stumbling block in talks to end the Russian invasion.
Zelensky announced that he was discussing a free trade agreement with the United States as part of a broader package for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and economic security.
According to him, a possible agreement would provide for zero tariffs on trade with the United States and would apply to certain industrially developed regions of Ukraine. He explained that this would give the country “very significant advantages” to neighboring countries and could attract investment and business.
The head of state noted that the details of this proposal require direct discussion with US President Donald Trump, adding that such an agreement could provide an additional economic security guarantee for Ukraine.
As UNIAN reported earlier, it was announced yesterday that Zelensky would hold another meeting with Trump in the near future to finalize the security agreement. Axios, citing Ukrainian officials, reported that one of the options for the meeting could be a direct visit by Zelensky to the United States, while another option is for the Ukrainian and American leaders to meet on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, scheduled for January 19-23.
Earlier, Trump said that he was “not thrilled” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has not publicly committed to taking new measures in support of Ukraine.
„Telegraph“ reported that he is increasingly disappointed with Russian leader Putin and considers him a greater obstacle to peace in Ukraine than Zelensky.
According to sources in the publication, the seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker and support for the new sanctions bill are signals to Putin that time is running out to end the war.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that, amid international efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the time has come for negotiations between the EU and Russia.
Germany takes a different position on this issue. Wolfgang Ischinger, the acting chairman of the 2026 Munich Security Conference, said that direct negotiations between the Europeans and the Russian government are currently pointless. He said that Moscow is most likely only interested in negotiations with Washington.