President Zelensky said there was a possibility of negotiations with Russia through intermediaries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was a possibility of negotiations with Russia through intermediaries and opposed direct negotiations.
According to RIA Novosti, in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on June 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine did not deny the possibility of holding negotiations with Russia through intermediaries.
"Ukraine can offer a model for negotiations. A model similar to the one used for the first time, for example, the agreement on the grain corridor, when Ukraine did not negotiate with Russia, but we agreed with the United Nations and Türkiye," President Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader also made it clear that the mediators would have to propose possible ways to resolve the crisis, and Kiev would consider their proposals. If Kiev accepts them, the mediators will discuss them with Russian representatives.
“So far, we have maintained only this form,” President Zelensky affirmed, once again voicing his opposition to direct negotiations with Russia.
Russia has repeatedly expressed its readiness for talks, but Ukraine has imposed a ban at the legislative level. The West has ignored Kiev's repeated refusal to engage in dialogue.
Earlier, the Kremlin stated that there are currently no preconditions for the situation in Ukraine to move towards peace; Russia's absolute priority is to achieve the goals of the special operation. However, later Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that if Ukraine wants to start negotiations, it is necessary to cancel the decree banning negotiations with Russia.
President Putin also affirmed that Russia is always ready to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict, even tomorrow, but the parties need to study Russia's peace proposal.
However, Ukraine has rejected the initiative. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Moscow's proposal as an ultimatum, while Zelensky's adviser Mikhail Podolyak said Russia's new initiatives "do not contain a real peace proposal".