Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, the 22nd of April, that Ukraine was ready for talks with Russia “in any format” as soon as a ceasefire was reached, while the Financial Times reported that President Vladimir Putin had offered to stop the Russian invasion and freeze the current front lines, according to Reuters.
Both sides are trying to demonstrate progress in ending the Russian war, after US President Donald Trump said he would back away from peace if a major breakthrough in negotiations failed.
“WE ARE READY TO COME TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE IN ANY FORMAT AFTER THE CEASEFIRE, SO AS TO AVOID A STALEMATE,” ZELENSKYY TOLD REPORTERS AT THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE IN KYIV.
He stressed that any discussions on the terms of a peace agreement should only take place once the fighting is over and that it would not be possible to agree on everything quickly.
The Ukrainian President said that his delegation would discuss a full or partial ceasefire in talks with European and US officials in London on Wednesday.
At the same time, the White House announced that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia again this week to hold talks with Putin.
The Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Putin, in a meeting with Witkoff in St Petersburg earlier this month, offered to halt Russia’s incursion across the front line and freeze it, and to drop demands for full control of four Ukrainian regions that Russia considers its own.
Russia only partially controls the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya regions of Ukraine. Putin has publicly demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the Kyiv-controlled parts of the regions.
The Financial Times noted that this is the first official sign from Putin since the first months of the war that Russia may be ready to give up some of its biggest demands. The newspaper referred to European officials who suggested that this could be just a strategy to get a bargaining hand.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing people involved in the talks, that
WASHINGTON HAS PROPOSED RECOGNISING THE OCCUPATION OF CRIMEA AND FREEZING THE FRONT LINES OF THE WAR AS PART OF THE DEAL.
The Crimean peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, is not among the four regions in Putin’s offer the Financial Times reported.
Zelenskyy has long said that Ukraine would not recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea and other territories because it would be contrary to the country’s constitution. However, he has also suggested that Ukraine could, over time, regain control of these territories diplomatically rather than by military force.
The US presented these proposals to Kyiv at a meeting with Western countries in Paris last week, according to the Washington Post.
Other difficult issues complicating the peace process include the Kremlin’s demand that Ukraine become formally neutral and not join the NATO military alliance.
Ukraine also expects foreign troops to be deployed in the country to ensure the implementation of the peace agreement and to serve as a security guarantee to prevent any further Russian aggression. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will not agree to this.
In a clear change of plan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the talks in London, a State Department spokesman said on Tuesday, adding that Washington’s envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, will attend.
Trump and Rubio said last week that Washington could abandon peace efforts if no progress was made within days. Trump said on Sunday that “hopefully” an agreement would be reached “this week”.
Separately, Zelenskyy said he would be ready to meet Trump when they attend Pope Francis’ funeral this week with other world leaders.