Zelensky stated that negotiations with Russia could only be possible after an unconditional ceasefire.

05.04.2025 00:10

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that they are ready to negotiate with Russia to end the war and emphasized that Russia needs to stop its attacks, saying, "What is the point of just talking? First and foremost, an unconditional ceasefire is necessary."

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed French Chief of Staff Thierry Burkhard and British Chief of Staff Tony Radakin, who were in the country for meetings, along with senior officials of the Ukrainian army at his office in Kiev.

"THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING"

Zelensky held a press conference after a meeting where topics such as security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire and the possible deployment of foreign troops as peacekeepers in the country were discussed. Zelensky stated that he would not share much information about the topics discussed, saying, "I cannot disclose too many details because this is just the beginning, but this is a deep beginning of this work."

"THIS WILL BE A COALITION"

Zelensky recalled that they started working on the issue two months ago and said that this process could take another month. He expressed that not only three countries would be involved in the process of establishing security guarantees for Ukraine, stating, "This will be a coalition." Zelensky mentioned that they discussed topics such as the number of peacekeeping troops and their areas of authority, saying, "What is important for me is to understand at what stage we can trust these troops."

"FIRST OF ALL, AN UNCONDITIONAL CEASEFIRE IS NEEDED"

Reacting to the missile attack carried out by the Russian army on the city of Kryvyi Rih today, Zelensky stated that Russia wants to prolong the war. He indicated that they are ready to negotiate with Russia to end the war and that Russia needs to stop its attacks, saying, "What is the point of just talking? First of all, an unconditional ceasefire is necessary." Zelensky stated, "We believe that the ceasefire must be unconditional, and after that, we can talk in any format." He mentioned that he received information about the U.S. preparing to "increase pressure" on Russia, saying, "We are also expecting exactly these strong sanction steps."

PREPARATION PROCESS OF THE RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AGREEMENT

Zelensky also touched upon the ongoing work on the draft agreement for rare earth elements expected to be signed with the U.S., stating that his country would be represented by a law firm in this process. He expressed that the process of selecting one of the three firms would be completed in the coming days, saying, "We only see partnership steps in this agreement, and the team is working on it." Zelensky noted that his technical team would send him the draft agreement for review next week, stating that the Ukrainian delegation would be ready to go to the U.S. for the agreement afterwards.