1 day ago
2
KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected Wednesday dismissed Russia’s ceasefire connection arsenic “an ultimatum” and renewed his telephone for nonstop talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to interruption the deadlock implicit the war, which has dragged connected for astir 3½ years.
Both sides exchanged memorandums mounting retired their conditions for a ceasefire for treatment astatine Monday's nonstop bid talks betwixt delegations successful Istanbul, their 2nd gathering successful conscionable implicit 2 weeks. Both sides person established reddish lines that marque immoderate speedy woody unlikely.
Zelenskyy said that the 2nd circular of talks successful Istanbul was nary antithetic from the archetypal gathering connected May 16. Zelenskyy described the latest negotiations successful Istanbul arsenic “a governmental performance” and “artificial diplomacy” designed to stall for time, hold sanctions and person the United States that Russia is engaged successful dialogue.
“The aforesaid ultimatums they voiced backmost past — present they conscionable enactment them connected insubstantial ... Honestly, this papers looks similar spam. It’s spam meant to flood america and make the content that they’re doing something,” Zelenskyy said successful his archetypal absorption to the Russian document.
He added that the 2025 talks successful Istanbul transportation “the aforesaid contented and spirit” arsenic the fruitless negotiations held successful the Turkish metropolis successful the aboriginal days of the war.
The Ukrainian person said that helium sees small worth successful continuing talks astatine the existent level of delegations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation successful Istanbul, portion Vladimir Medinsky, an adjutant to Putin, headed the Russian team.
Zelenskyy said helium wants a ceasefire with Russia earlier a imaginable acme gathering with Putin, perchance besides including U.S. President Donald Trump, successful an effort to region obstacles to a bid settlement. The U.S. has led a caller diplomatic propulsion to halt the full-scale invasion, which began connected Feb. 24, 2022.
“We are proposing … a ceasefire earlier a leaders’ summit,” with the U.S. acting arsenic a mediator, Zelenskyy told a media briefing successful Kyiv.
“Why a ceasefire earlier the leaders’ meeting? Because if we conscionable and determination is nary communal understanding, nary willingness oregon imaginativeness connected however to extremity this, past the ceasefire would extremity that aforesaid day. But if we spot readiness to proceed the dialog and instrumentality existent steps toward de-escalation, past the ceasefire would beryllium extended with U.S. mediation guarantees,” helium said.
Ukraine is acceptable to conscionable astatine immoderate clip from adjacent Monday astatine a venue specified arsenic Istanbul, the Vatican oregon Switzerland, Zelenskyy said.
A 2nd circular of bid talks connected Monday betwixt Russian and Ukrainian delegations successful Istanbul lasted conscionable implicit an hr and made nary advancement connected ending the war. They agreed lone to swap thousands of their dormant and earnestly wounded troops.
Also, a caller captive speech with Russia could instrumentality spot implicit the weekend, Zelenskyy said.
___
Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
English (US) ·