Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he accepted the US proposal to hold another round of negotiations next week, during which the parties will probably focus on the issue of territory.
This was announced by Bloomberg, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
According to Zelenskyy, the new round of negotiations is scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, although it is not yet known whether russia will agree to the talks in the US.
On the agenda is the US proposal to create a free economic zone as a buffer in the eastern region of Donbas, an option that, according to the Ukrainian leader, both sides of the conflict perceive skeptically.
"Neither side is thrilled with the idea of a free economic zone – neither the russians nor us. We have different views on it. And we agreed on this: let's come back with a vision of what it could look like for the next meeting," Zelenskyy said in a telephone interview, although he did not rule out such a possibility.
The President noted that in discussions about who would control such a buffer zone, the US should clearly state its position.
"If this is our territory – and this is our territory – then the country to which it belongs should govern it," he added.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on February 7, President Zelenskyy said that the US had proposed that Ukraine and russia conclude a peace agreement by the beginning of the summer. He also suggested that Washington might resort to diplomatic pressure on Kyiv for this purpose.
Earlier, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said that further US sanctions against russia depend on peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
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