Ukraine (TDI): Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia next week, to achieve a ceasefire agreement for long-lasting peace and security.
On Saturday, speaking during his daily address, Zelensky announced that Rustem Umerov, who is serving as the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, initiated the fresh proposal for talks with Russia.
“The Russian side must stop avoiding decisions regarding prisoner exchanges, the return of children, and the cessation of killings,” he added.
Zelensky also said that a leadership-level meeting is very necessary to secure long-lasting peace, and his country is ready for such talks.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, on Sunday, told media that Russia is “ready to move quickly” on achieving a peace agreement with Ukraine, but its main goal remains what it was; that is to achieve its “objectives.”
Read More: Russia Downs 120 Ukrainian Drones Overnight
Peskov also said that Russian President Putin has continuously expressed his willingness to transition the Ukrainian settlement process into peaceful ways as soon as it can be done but its a long process that requires a lot of effort. He also remarked that Washington has finally started to understand that.
Zelesnky’s renewed proposal comes shortly after Trump gave a 50-day margin to Russia for achieving a ceasefire before he imposes high tariffs on Russian goods, along with secondary tariffs on goods from countries that get Russian oil.
Trump, in a statement, said that he uses trade for a lot of things, but it will be great to use it for settling wars.
Despite the 50-day window, a lot of analysts and Ukrainian officials are less hopeful about Putin acting accordingly and achieve a ceasefire agreement on common grounds with Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, responded to Trump’s tariff threats, saying, “Fifty days – it used to be 24 hours. It used to be 100 days; we’ve been through all of this.”
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
