Zelensky ready for ‘some compromise' on whether a ceasefire happens before Putin talks as Russia plays down prospects
His comments come as Moscow openly contradicts the White House narrative that plans for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky are 'underway.'
Ukraine and its allies in Europe have long pushed for there to be a ceasefire as a first step towards ending the war, which would require resolving seemingly intractable issues such as land and security guarantees.
But after US President Donald Trump pivoted towards favoring a 'peace deal' over an immediate ceasefire, Zelensky indicated he was willing to be flexible.
'The format that has been proposed likely involves some compromise,' he said.
'I told President Trump that, in any case, we will need a period of calm to develop the entire plan for ending the war – if we truly want the plan to be serious.' Zelensky said.
Zelensky told journalists on Wednesday that Ukraine is waiting for 'security guarantees architecture' to be established within seven to 10 days before setting a date for talks with the Kremlin.
'And based on that understanding, we aim to hold a trilateral meeting. That was my logic,' Zelensky said, referring to Trump's previously stated aim to hold an eventual sit down between him, Putin and Zelensky.
Ukraine has previously agreed part of its security guarantees with Washington involves spending some $90 billion on US weapons, a cost Zelensky defended, saying: 'I believe that a strong weapons component has been outlined, one that the Ukrainian army needs as part of security guarantees. This sum is justified.'
Kremlin pours cold water on bilateral meeting
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that the Kremlin proposed sending higher-level officials to talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, with no confirmation that Russia supports a meeting at the leadership level.
'Putin confirmed his readiness to continue direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, negotiations that, as you know, took place in Istanbul,' Lavrov said, recapping rounds of talks in Turkey, which saw Moscow and Kyiv agree prisoner swaps but make no progress towards a ceasefire.
Lavrov also said that discussing Ukraine's security without Moscow is 'a utopia and a path to nowhere.'
As the Kremlin poured cold water on the idea of a leaders' summit and on diplomatic progress discussions regarding security guarantees, he also tried to paint a picture that the Ukrainian side was impeding further talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that questions of security guarantees cannot be resolved without Russia's participation in talks.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/Reuters
'So far, there has been no response from Ukraine, but following a phone conversation with President Trump the day before yesterday, our president (Putin) made a proposal not only to continue these conversations but also to think about raising the level of the heads of delegation,' Lavrov continued.
Crucially, the talks in Istanbul have so far included lower-level and technical-level officials. In May, Putin decided not to show up for talks in Turkey that he himself suggested.
'We are ready for any formats, but when it comes to high-level meetings, it is necessary to prepare most carefully at all previous stages so that the summits do not result in a worsening of the situation and would really put an end to those negotiations that we are ready to continue,' the Russian foreign minister added on Wednesday.
CNN's Clare Sebastian, Kristen Holmes and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
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