Zelenskyy outlines the condition for beginning negotiations with Russia, which has proposed a “new approach” to ending the conflict.

Ukrainian leadership will not enter another round of talks with Russia until all the exchanges agreed upon at the second Istanbul meeting are completed, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Rome.

“In my opinion, appropriate steps will be taken soon. Only after that can the teams move forward to discuss an effective plan – preparing for a meeting at the leadership level,” the president stated.

He believes a meeting at the leadership level is crucial to ending the war and achieving a significant result. “Ukraine, Russia, and America at the leadership level is a desirable format. There may be not only words but also guarantees at the negotiating table. But I cannot tell you how it will be,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov emphasized that a truce between Ukraine and Russia could be reached by the end of the year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the ASEAN summit, said Moscow has proposed a “new approach” to ending the war; however, he did not specify what it involves.