Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has again firmly rejected talks about peace in Ukraine without the participation of Kiev.
“We will not accept any bilateral negotiations about Ukraine without us,” Zelensky told journalists on a trip to a nuclear power plant in western Ukraine. He said that lasting peace could not be achieved without the participation of his government.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost three years with Western help.
US President Donald Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine by holding direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly at a summit in Saudi Arabia.
Regarding the participation of other European states in future peace talks, Zelensky said: “I am also very keen on Europe being there.”
Zelensky will discuss the situation with European representatives at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there would be both bilateral negotiations between the US and Russia and talks with Ukrainian participation.
“There will be a bilateral Russian-American channel of dialogue and a channel in which Ukraine is also involved,” Peskov said in Moscow.