New round of negotiations with US may take place next Tuesday or Wednesday, - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had accepted the US proposal to hold another round of talks next week on ending the war with Russia.
He announced this in an interview with Bloomberg, according to Censor.NET.
According to the head of state, the meeting may take place on Tuesday or Wednesday, but it is not yet known whether Russia will agree to negotiations in the US. Among the key topics is Washington's initiative to create a free economic zone as a buffer in eastern Donetsk region.
"Neither side is interested in the idea of a free economic zone—neither the Russians nor us. We have different views on this. And the agreement was as follows: let's come back to the next meeting with a vision of how this could look," Zelenskyy said.
Buffer zone
The president stressed that if a buffer zone is created, Ukraine should control it: "If this is our territory, and it is our territory, then the country whose territory it is should control it."
He also said that Donald Trump's administration wants to sign all the documents at once. Ukraine, he said, is looking at the possibility of approving the peace deal either through parliament or a national referendum.
Negotiations in the UAE
Separately, Zelenskyy noted that during the talks in the United Arab Emirates, the parties discussed mechanisms for a ceasefire and monitoring with the participation of the United States, but no final decisions could be made without political agreements at the highest level.
"The Russians have one wording, we have another, and the Americans have a third. There is an understanding that monitoring will take place, but there is also an understanding that additional work is needed on the wording and details," the head of state added.
What preceded it?
- Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine, the US, and Russia would hold trilateral talks in the UAE.
- Russian dictator Yuriy Ushakov's assistant confirmed the Russian delegation's participation in a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Friday, January 23.
- Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation.
- According to Zelenskyy, the Donbas issue will be key at the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
- According to media reports, no compromise was reached in the negotiations in Abu Dhabi. The US and Russia are putting pressure on Ukraine.
- On Saturday, January 24, the second round of negotiations between representatives of Ukraine, the US, and Russia took place in Abu Dhabi.
- On February 4 and 5, the following trilateral meetings were held in Abu Dhabi as part of the peace talks.
