President Zelensky said negotiating on territory was his job.

According to TASS, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with Russia was not allowed to discuss territorial issues. He explained that discussing this topic was "his job."

"Our delegation's task is to discuss humanitarian issues – prisoners of war or ceasefires. However, they are not tasked with discussing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Valasz Online.

"My job is to negotiate territorial claims," ​​Zelensky added, declaring that he was ready to discuss the topic only with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky also noted that Ukraine does not recognize the lost territories as belonging to Russia.

The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul on June 2nd. The parties exchanged documents outlining their visions for aspects of conflict resolution. The Ukrainian memorandum presented Kyiv's idea of ​​a possible meeting between the leaders. Ukraine believes that President Putin and President Zelensky should agree on six issues, including territory and a complete cessation of hostilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, commented to journalists on the possibility of holding a summit with US participation, noting that President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his readiness for contacts at the highest level, while emphasizing that these contacts must result from agreements developed at the technical and expert level.