▲ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
As U.S. President Donald Trump turns his attention back to mediating peace negotiations for the war in Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks in the United States or France to end the war.
According to Reuters on June 15 (local time), President Zelenskyy met with reporters at a monastery in Kyiv, which was damaged by a Russian overnight attack. He stated that he agreed to the U.S. plan to push for a meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
He emphasized that since both President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are attending the G7 summit, it would be a "very good opportunity for everyone to meet" in a setting where "Europe and the United States are together."
However, President Zelenskyy argued, "Europe and the United States have agreed, but Russia has once again shown that it is not ready for dialogue."
He later stated via Telegram that during his phone call with President Trump the previous day, he also proposed a meeting between himself and President Putin in the United States.
"It would be a format that would be much harder for Putin to reject President Trump's proposal," Zelenskyy said, adding, "If Russia rejects this opportunity as well, greater pressure will be needed."
This proposal comes as President Trump announced at the G7 summit in France that he would pursue ending the war in Ukraine as his next task, highlighting the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran as a major achievement.
President Trump said he had spoken with both President Zelenskyy and President Putin the previous day, adding, "I think we can probably do something on that, too. I think they both have an open mind to it."
A Ukrainian official stated that President Zelenskyy had conveyed the G7 meeting proposal to the U.S. side and President Macron, and had also directly extended an invitation to the Russian side.
However, the official added that they had not yet received a clear response from Russia.
President Zelenskyy has been calling for peace negotiations more frequently as Ukraine continues to make gains on the battlefield with drones and automated weapons.
In particular, he is focusing on highlighting Russia's lack of willingness to engage in dialogue by repeatedly proposing direct face-to-face talks with President Putin.
President Putin has been reluctant to meet in person, as he has characterized President Zelenskyy as the leader of neo-Nazi forces and an illegitimate ruler whose presidential term has expired.
Many experts view President Zelenskyy's proposal for face-to-face talks as a strategy to stimulate President Trump's desire to mediate peace negotiations, as Trump positions himself as a "peacemaker."
Earlier this month, President Zelenskyy sent an open letter to President Putin, proposing a direct meeting and stating that the war is increasing the burden on the Russian economy.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.