U.S. Wants Ukraine, Russia to End War by June: Zelensky

AP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The United States is seeking an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia by June and has offered to host talks between the two sides next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been urging Moscow and Kyiv to bring the nearly four-year conflict to a close, recently mediating discussions between the parties in Abu Dhabi. However, it has so far failed to secure a compromise on the sensitive issue of territory.

Russia, which currently occupies around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, is pressing for full control of the eastern Donetsk region as part of any agreement.

Ukraine, however, has made clear that it will not sign a deal that does not prevent Russia from launching future invasions.

"The United States has proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams -- Ukraine and Russia -- meet in the United States, probably in Miami, in a week's time," Zelensky told reporters in comments made public early Saturday.

"They say that they want to do everything by June," he added.

Zelensky has repeatedly voiced frustration that Ukraine is being asked to make disproportionate concessions compared with Russia.

In remarks published on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said he would not tolerate Washington and Moscow reaching agreements behind Kyiv’s back, particularly if they concerned Ukraine’s sovereignty.

He added that the two sides had also failed to reach a “common understanding” on the issue of control over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022.

Source: AFP



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