Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the United States wants to mediate a new round of talks with Ukraine and Russia to end the four-half-year war and to hold them by the end of October.
US-led peace efforts have largely stalled, as Washington’s attention has shifted to the conflict with Iran, and while Ukraine says Russia has stepped up air strikes throughout the war-torn country.
The American side is currently in contact with Ukraine and Russia and is proposing that a meeting at the technical level in trilateral formats be held by the end of October, Zelensky told reporters Sunday, foreign media write, Telegrafi records.
He stressed that he had talked to American negotiators on Saturday.
I confirmed that our side is willing to support this deadline, he added.
Zelensky did not reveal where the talks would be held, but said Ukraine was open to Emirates or another country proposed by the American side.
The United Arab Emirates have hosted talks mediated by the United States in the past, aimed at ending the Russian occupation.
The Kremlin said last month that trilateral talks to end the war could be held in October.
We do not rule out such an opportunity; we are talking about the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian news agencies Rhea and Tass, quoted him as saying at the time.
Previous negotiating lines have not brought tangible progress towards peace, as Moscow has shown no willingness to give up its maximum conditions for ending fighting. /Telegraph/