- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But, only under certain circumstances.
- President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “making progress” in talks between the two countries.
- Zelenskyy plans to meet with Vice President JD Vance.
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Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is heading into its third year and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’s ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but with some caveats. The announcement comes with the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, raising the possibility of renewed negotiations between the two countries.
Trump first revealed he talked to Putin during an interview with the New York Post Saturday, Feb. 8, but didn’t reveal specifics. He said he plans to meet with Zelenskyy sometime this week.
Trump told reporters Sunday that the United States is effectively helping advance the talks with both sides.
“I do believe we are making progress,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war and I want to stop because I hate to see all these young people being killed, soldiers being killed by the hundreds of thousands.”
What did Zelenskyy say about possibly negotiating with Putin?
During an interview over the weekend with British broadcaster ITV News, Zelenskyy said he is willing to negotiate, but only if the United States and Europe continue to support Ukraine.
“I think this is the most important,” Zelenskyy said. “We can’t lose people in the world who are on our side.”
Zelenskyy also warned against the prospect of a frozen conflict, which is when a war is brought to an end but the underlying issues causing the conflict are not fully addressed.
Putin said in the past he is not willing to negotiate directly with Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy’s plans to talk with the U.S.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is set to meet with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in Germany this coming weekend, according to CBS News.
Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, is then expected to visit Ukraine on Feb. 20.
What’s the latest on the war?
While preparing for new talks, both Moscow and Kyiv continued their exchange of drone attacks on Sunday night.
Ukraine’s air force says it downed 61 Russian drones launched toward the country, while Russia’s Defense Ministry says it shot down 17 Ukrainian drones.