Zelensky must show ‘flexibility'
Zelensky acknowledged that potential land swaps were discussed during his meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday. Trump, meanwhile, suggested that an immediate ceasefire may not be essential for a lasting peace agreement.
Speaking to Newsmax on Tuesday, Mandelson said Zelensky may need political leeway to overcome hardliners in Ukraine. 'He may go back to Kiev and find he doesn't have the political support for the flexibility that he's got to show in order to help bring this to an end,' Mandelson said, as cited by The Times.
'We've got to continue making sure that what Zelensky can take back is cast-iron assurance, so that if he does show flexibility, Ukraine can be safe,' the diplomat added.
Trump told Fox News that Zelensky must 'show some flexibility,' and reiterated his plan to arrange a Putin-Zelensky summit, possibly followed by a trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelensky.
The specifics of the guarantees that could be offered to Ukraine remain unclear, as the US has ruled out full NATO membership, while Russia has said it will not tolerate Western troops on Ukrainian soil. Moscow has also demanded that the West stop supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine boasts it ‘knows how to kill Russians'
The Ukrainian military is skilled at killing Russians, Kiev's ambassador to Poland, Vasily Bodnar, has claimed while urging NATO to admit Ukraine into its ranks. US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that Ukraine would not become a NATO member and ruled out deploying American troops. Bodnar, nevertheless, presented Ukraine as a bulwark against Russia. 'If Russia attacks NATO countries tomorrow without Ukraine on NATO's side, it would be much more difficult than with Ukraine. That's why Ukraine should be seen as an added value to NATO: it is fighting and knows how to kill Russians, whereas you do not yet,' Bodnar told Polsat News in an interview published on Monday. He urged NATO to formally invite Ukraine to join the alliance and claimed that ordinary Ukrainians would welcome NATO bases in 'every village.' Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Bodnar's remarks and accused Kiev of rejecting a prisoner swap that could have involved around 1,000 POWs. Meanwhile, the Russian army has continued to gain ground throughout 2025, as Ukraine struggles to replenish its forces with new conscripts. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow has no intention of attacking NATO members unless attacked first. The Kremlin has also stressed that it would not tolerate Western troops on Ukrainian soil, even under the guise of peacekeepers, and has cited Ukraine's NATO aspirations as one of the root causes of the ongoing conflict.
Russia Today
5 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukrainian soccer player gets yellow card for speaking Russian
A Ukrainian soccer player was shown a yellow card for refusing to stop speaking Russian on the pitch. The incident occurred Sunday during a Ukrainian Women's Top League game between Kolos from the Kiev region and SeaSters from the Black Sea port city of Odessa. Referee Anastasia Romanyuk paused the game around the 43rd minute to show a yellow card to SeaSters midfielder Irina Maiborodina. The decision sparked a brief argument between Romanyuk and SeaSters coach Denis Kolchin. 'The yellow card was given for dissent [with the referee's decision]. This is a Ukrainian championship, so we are not speaking Russian. I asked the player to speak Ukrainian,' Romanyuk said, according to news website Since the Western-backed coup in 2014, Ukraine has passed several laws restricting the use of Russian in public. Politicians and influencers have campaigned to discourage speaking Russian, which they describe as 'the language of the aggressor state.' Moscow has maintained that the treatment of the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine is one of the key causes of the current conflict.
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
First Putin-Zelensky meeting ‘would be better without me'
US President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine should meet one-on-one before a potential three-way peace summit. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday and hosted Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Washington three days later. He insisted that the sides begin working toward a lasting peace without a ceasefire first, as some European leaders have suggested. 'I had a very successful meeting with President Putin. I had a very successful meeting with President Zelensky. And now I thought it would be better if they met without me, just to see, I want to see what goes on,' Trump said on Mark Levin's radio show on Tuesday. 'You know, they had a hard relationship, very bad, very bad relationship. And now we'll see how they do and if necessary, and it probably would be, but if necessary, I'll go and I'll probably be able to get [the deal] closed,' he added. Zelensky told reporters on Monday that he is ready for a potential meeting with Putin. While the Kremlin has not commented on the latest proposal, Putin said earlier this year that he is ready to meet Zelensky during the 'final stage' of negotiations. Putin's key aide, Yury Ushakov, added on Tuesday that Russia supports continuing 'direct negotiations between the delegations from Russia and Ukraine.'
