Zelenskiy Open to Direct Talks with Putin for Lasting Peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has once again expressed his openness to engaging in direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy highlighted the need for Ukraine to advance from mere declarations and lower-level discussions to face-to-face meetings between the nations' leaders.

Zelenskiy remarked that if there are genuine signals from Russia indicating a willingness to conclude the conflict with dignity and seek a sustainable peace, Ukraine is ready to participate in leader-level dialogues at any moment. His statements come after Russian President Putin expressed hope that peace talks with Ukraine would persevere.

Ukraine is urging a transition from exchanging official statements and technical meetings to substantial talks at the leadership level, aiming to secure a lasting resolution to the ongoing war, Zelenskiy stated on X.

(With inputs from agencies.)