Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday expressed his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss political and diplomatic ways to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv following a meeting with Odile Renaud-Basso, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Zelensky accused Putin of being “afraid of talking” to him about ending the war.
“The US President (Donald) Trump, and the EU countries believe that diplomacy is impossible without Russia, without Putin. That’s why I said that I am ready (to meet with him) if we can agree on how this war will end for us. We are ready for diplomacy, I have no problem with that here. The problem is that it seems to me that Putin is basically afraid of talking to me about ending the war,” he claimed.
As for the Ukrainian decree prohibiting any peace talks with Russia while Putin serves as its president that Zelensky signed himself in 2022, the Ukrainian leader claimed that it does not apply to him.
Commenting on media reports about the US plan to end the war in Ukraine, Zelensky said: “I am sure that our teams (US-Ukraine) will work together. There can be no other plan.”
He also emphasized that Kyiv is eyeing official contacts with Washington, including regarding the peace plan.
Turning to the meeting with Renaud-Basso, Zelensky said they discussed the EU financial aid to Ukraine.
For her part, the EBRD president said the bank she is currently heading has provided Ukraine €6.2 billion ($6.5 billion) worth of financial aid since 2022 and plans to continue investing in energy and private sectors.