President Zelensky Calls Ukraine Considering High-Level Meetings With Russia To The US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday Kyiv and his partners were considering arranging a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union and Britain as part of efforts to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv after making two phone calls with US President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader said he hoped the meeting could take place as soon as possible and could be held by Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland.

"We are considering meeting all teams at a high level," he said.

President Zelensky said he spoke with President Trump on Monday before the US leader called Russian President Vladimir Putin, and once again in a conversation involving French leaders, Finland, Germany, Italy, and the European Union.

President Zelenskiy said that during his first phone call with President Trump, he underlined the need for a ceasefire and sanctions against Russia and the importance of Kyiv allies not reaching an agreement with Russia without Ukraine.

"I'm very focused, it's a challenging time (not easy) for us now," he said.

Ukraine and Russia held direct negotiations in Istanbul last week at pressure from the United States. The talk highlighted how far they differed in their vision of ending the war, which has now entered its fourth year.

President Zelensky said he expected Europe to announce a "strong" new sanction package against Russia, although he did not elaborate.

He asked the United States to impose sanctions on Russia's banking and energy sectors to reduce revenue for its military needs.

In addition, he also hopes that the exchange of large prisoners approved in principle in talks in Istanbul will occur within a few days or weeks.