Photo: Office of the President
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin if it was the only way to end the war. He said this in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday, 4 February.
During the conversation, the journalist recalled his recent conversation with US President Donald Trump, who expressed his desire to achieve peace, although he acknowledged the complexity of the situation. In response, Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations are only possible in a format where there are four key participants at the table: Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Europe.
“If this is the only way to bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people in the process, we will definitely go to this meeting. I will not be kind to him, I consider him an enemy and, frankly, I think he considers me an enemy as well,” the Ukrainian leader said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that Putin is a criminal, and the very possibility of dialogue with him is already a “compromise for the civilised world”.
The President of Ukraine also acknowledged that the country cannot return all the temporarily occupied territories and cannot allow the loss of millions of lives for the sake of an outcome that may never come.
“Putin will not wait for me to get exhausted. We are fighting for our lives and existence. We have no other choice,” Zelensky added.
