Russia is prepared to continue direct negotiations with Ukraine after June 22, Russian President said during a 50-minute telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Trump, in turn, emphasized his interest in ending Russia’s war against Ukraine as soon as possible. The US President noted that the discussion concerning Ukraine was minimal, and a more detailed conversation is scheduled for next week. A few days earlier, while speaking about the war and peace efforts, Trump expressed his “disappointment” with both Russia and Ukraine, adding that “deals could have been made already.”
President Zelenskyy mentioned that he has not yet decided on further participation in negotiations with Russia. The decision will be made after the prisoner exchange is fully completed on June 20-21.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine is open to ceasefire talks if they are meaningful. However, the meeting in early June was limited to a prisoner exchange agreement, while Russia continued to insist on Ukraine’s surrender.
Zelenskyy, for his part, is convinced that the dialogue between Washington and Moscow, which resembles a “warm conversation,” will not stop the Russian aggression, and the “tonality” in the negotiations must be changed.