Ukrainian President is ready for direct talks with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv is ready to hold direct talks with Moscow after reaching a ceasefire agreement, after his US counterpart Donald Trump expressed hope for a deal soon to end the more than three-year conflict in Ukraine.

“We’re ready to record that, after a ceasefire, we are ready to sit down based on any possible formula,” Zelensky said in a press briefing on the eve of important talks in London on a possible settlement to the conflict.

Since returning to the White House three months ago, Trump has failed to secure concessions from Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt his forces’ offensive in Ukraine, despite having pledged during his election campaign to quickly reach an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.

Over the weekend, Trump announced that he hoped to reach an agreement this week, without providing further details.

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television, “This issue is very complex and depends on a settlement, so it’s pointless to set strict timeframes and seek to reach a settlement, a viable settlement, in a short period of time”.

Putin’s advisor, Yuri Ushakov, also said Tuesday that US envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow this week.

“Yes,” Ushakov was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency TASS when asked if Witkoff was planning to visit the Russian capital this week.

After rejecting a US-Ukrainian offer for a complete and unconditional ceasefire last month, Putin announced a surprise truce over the Easter weekend.

Ukrainian officials announced that the intensity of fighting decreased during the 30-hour ceasefire, but Russia launched new attacks on residential areas on Monday and Tuesday.

Kyiv and its allies described the truce as a mere public relations campaign by Putin.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Info radio, “The Easter truce, which he announced somewhat unexpectedly, was a marketing ploy, an attempt to garner support aimed at preventing President Trump from becoming impatient and angry”.

A Ukrainian official said on Tuesday that the second round of talks between Ukraine and its Western partners to reach a ceasefire with Russia will be held on Wednesday in London.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio won’t attend the talks due to scheduling issues, a State Department spokeswoman said, adding that US envoy Keith Kellogg will participate.

European leaders are scrambling to find ways to support Ukraine if Trump withdraws vital military and financial support from Washington.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that his team’s top priority in the London talks would be the idea of ​​an unconditional ceasefire.

Zelensky expressed hope for an unconditional ceasefire and a clear response from Russia to his proposal for a new truce in attacks on civilian facilities, after Vladimir Putin indicated his desire to study the proposal.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday that Putin is ready to discuss the matter, but Moscow wants first to know whether the Ukrainian side is ready for such a ceasefire.

He also noted, two days after Putin declared an Easter truce, that if we talk about civilian facilities, we must clearly differentiate between situations in which these facilities can be used for military purposes and those in which they cannot.

Ukrainians, US, French, and British officials met in Paris on Thursday to move forward together, as ceasefire negotiations initiated by Washington falter and Europeans seek to make their voices heard three years after the Russian invasion.

Russian guided bombs killed one person and injured 23 in a residential area of ​​the southern city of Zaporizhia on Tuesday, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.

A video released by Ukrainian emergency services, shows destroyed apartments, a building with its top floor completely burned, and firefighters treating the wounded.

Russian airstrikes injured six other people in the southern city of Kherson, and seven in Kharkov, in the country’s northeast.

The Russian army announced that it had taken control of a small village in the eastern Donetsk region, where its forces are advancing.

Meanwhile, Zelensky said that Kyiv isn’t discussing any new aid packages with Washington.

“We haven’t yet had the opportunity to reach an agreement with the United States on new aid or discuss the details,” he said.

At the conclusion of the Paris talks last week, Rubio threatened to withdraw Washington from the talks to end the Russian invasion if the United States concluded that peace wasn’t possible between the warring parties.