Mr. Zelensky declared his readiness to negotiate with Russia 'in any form', what did Mr. Trump say?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready for peace talks with Russia, but has made it a precondition that a ceasefire be in place. However, just hours later, US President Donald Trump made a comment that Kiev might have to accept territorial concessions, highlighting the difference in the two leaders' approaches.
In an interview with NBC broadcast on October 19, Mr. Zelensky said he was ready for negotiations “in any form, bilateral, trilateral,” but only after the fighting stopped. “We need to stay where we are,” Mr. Zelensky said, stressing that negotiations could not take place “under missiles, not under drones.” He also said Kiev should not give up “more” territory to Russia.
In contrast, in an interview with Fox News the same day, President Trump said that Ukraine would definitely have to make concessions. When asked if the conflict could end without taking away Ukraine's "assets," Trump replied: "Well, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin will take something. I mean, he's taken some assets."
On the issue of weapons, Mr. Zelensky confirmed that President Trump has so far refused to provide long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. For his part, Mr. Trump said he is still considering this possibility but does not want to give up the entire US arsenal. “We cannot give all our weapons to Ukraine. I cannot endanger the United States of America,” he emphasized.
The Kremlin previously revealed that in a phone call with Mr. Trump, President Putin warned that providing long-range missiles to Ukraine would derail bilateral relations and “seriously undermine the prospects for a peaceful solution.”
Russia also put forward its own conditions for a ceasefire, including Ukraine withdrawing its troops from territories claimed by Russia, stopping military mobilization, stopping receiving military aid, recognizing the new border and abandoning plans to join NATO.
