Zelenskyy Presses US to Carry Peace Plan to Putin as Talks Loom
At a news conference in the Norwegian capital with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to negotiate. He voiced hope that the United States and European partners will help bring the fighting to a close.
“Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people ... and because Russia attacks, we’re losing people and time,” he said. He added that Ukrainian children are being robbed of their childhood.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff took part in the Oslo talks, Zelenskyy said, while Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, joined by video link. The discussions covered security guarantees, Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction and a number of “sensitive points,” according to the Ukrainian leader.
Kyiv backs exploring different ceasefire formats to ease tensions, he said, pressing the point again: “We want to push as quick as possible to end this war.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had endorsed a U.S. proposal for an energy ceasefire but accused Moscow of continuing to hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Kyiv, he said, had offered to spare sensitive parts of Russia’s energy sector if Moscow stopped targeting Ukraine’s.
Ukraine and its European partners have also drawn up proposals to advance peace efforts, including a possible three-way summit of the Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. leaders. Zelenskyy said Kyiv wants Washington to carry those proposals to Moscow.
“We have some clear ideas on how to get to peace. And we are united with our European partners in this effort, and we want the Americans to take these ideas to the Russians. One of the important ideas is to move to a potential trilateral meeting of the leaders to address the issues that only the leaders can do,” he said.
“Steve is going to Russia tomorrow, and let’s see what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has to say,” he added.
No Ukraine settlement without Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Earlier Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, he held a “very positive” call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They discussed Starlink connectivity, air defense interceptor missiles and intelligence sharing, and agreed to speak again within 48 hours.
Ukraine is currently receiving U.S. intelligence, including through an early warning system for Russian ballistic missile attacks, he said, stressing that American support is vital to protecting Ukrainian civilians.
On prospective peace talks, Zelenskyy said any discussion of Ukraine’s future held without Kyiv cannot be legitimate.
“I don’t know what about trilateral meeting will be between America, China, and Russia. It’s up to them. But of course, if the issues are about Ukraine, our future, it can be acceptable only when we are at the table of negotiations. It’s absolutely clear,” he said.
Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was using Moscow’s ties with Iran as leverage over Trump, Zelenskyy said he did not know. He said he believes, however, that Russia has backed Tehran during the ongoing war, including through drone supplies and intelligence sharing.
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