President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday declared Ukraine’s readiness to hold talks with Russia “in any format” once a ceasefire is in place, as reports emerged suggesting President Vladimir Putin may be willing to pause Russia’s invasion along current front lines.
Both countries appear keen to show movement towards a resolution of the conflict, now in its fourth year, following a warning from US President Donald Trump that he could abandon peace efforts if progress remains stalled.
“We are ready to record that after a ceasefire, we are ready to sit down in any format so that there are no dead ends,” Zelenskiy told reporters during a briefing at the presidential office in Kyiv.
He maintained that peace negotiations should only begin after hostilities cease, adding that any agreement would take time and could not be reached immediately.
Zelenskiy also revealed that Ukraine’s delegation would be authorised to discuss either a full or partial ceasefire in upcoming talks with European and US officials scheduled for Wednesday in London. The meeting follows a round of discussions held last week in Paris.
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would return to Russia later this week for further dialogue with Putin.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the matter, Putin proposed during a recent meeting with Witkoff in St Petersburg to halt Russia’s military operations at the current front lines and give up claims to full control over four partially occupied Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. These areas were claimed by Moscow during the full-scale invasion, though Russia does not entirely control them.
The report marked the first suggestion from Putin since the early months of the war that Russia might reconsider its maximalist territorial ambitions. European officials briefed on the developments reportedly believe the move could serve as a tactical manoeuvre in ongoing negotiations.
In a separate report, The Washington Post said Washington had proposed a settlement that would recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea and freeze the conflict’s front lines. Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014, was not among the regions named in Putin’s alleged offer, according to the FT.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine will never recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea or any other territories, as such recognition would breach the Ukrainian constitution. However, he has also indicated that Kyiv may seek to regain control of these areas through diplomatic rather than military means.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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