Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘must be at centre’ of peace talks

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has piled on speculation over the possibility of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after his rival Vladimir Putin made a brazen claim about Donald Trump.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said allies should work towards determining a format for potential peace talks with Russia, reiterating that only talks involving Kyiv could bring about a sustainable peace.

His comments are the latest to pile on speculation over the possibility of negotiations to end the brutal conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives after almost three years of fighting.

“I understand that contacts can be in different formats,” Mr Zelenskyy said, referring to possible negotiations that would lead to “a just peace”.

“I think we should focus on this today,” he said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says only talks involving Kyiv could result in a ceasefire. Picture: AFP

Vladimir Putin last week said he was ready for talks with US president Donald Trump on Ukraine, praising him as a “smart” leader who might have prevented the conflict from starting in February 2022.

The Russian president boldly claimed there would be no Ukraine war if the 2020 US election had not been “stolen”’ from Mr Trump.

Mr Putin made the claim during an interview with the sate-owned Rossiya TV on Friday following the newly sworn-in US President’s recent calls for a ceasefire.

“Russia has never refused contact with the US administration. It wasn’t our fault that the previous administration refused those contacts. I’ve always had professional, yet pragmatic, and, I would say, trusting relations with the current US president,” Mr Putin said.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has boldly claimed the Ukraine war would never have happened if Donald Trump the 2020 US election was not “stolen”. Picture: AFP

“And I can’t disagree with (Trump) when he says that if he had been president, if his 2020 victory hadn’t been stolen, perhaps the crisis in Ukraine that began in 2022 wouldn’t have happened.”

Mr Putin added it would be best for the presidents “to meet based on the realities of today and calmly discuss all the issues of mutual interest to the US and Russia.”

He then said that Russia was ready to talk about a possible ceasefire.

“We’re ready,” Mr Putin said, adding the meeting would ultimately depend on “the decisions and choices of the current US administration.”

US President Donald Trump Picture: AFP

Mr Putin said he was open to a ceasefire but was hesitant because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had issued a decree which banned negotiations with Russia.
“The current head of the Kyiv regime, when he was still somewhat legitimate, issued a decree banning negotiations,” Mr Putin said.

“So how can talks resume now if they’re officially prohibited? (…) If negotiations begin under the current legal framework, they would technically be illegitimate, which means the results of those talks would also need to be declared illegitimate.”

Donald Trump said his administration’s efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal were “hopefully underway,” and that he wanted to meet with Mr Putin soon.

“I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended, and that’s not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It’s from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted,” he said via video link to the global business elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week.

- with Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Originally published as Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘must be at centre’ of peace talks