Zelensky: I am ready to negotiate directly with Putin about Ukrainian territories; ceasefire is not a precondition

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a media interview on Tuesday (August 18) after a key meeting with Donald Trump and European leaders at the White House that he was ready to personally negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue of Ukrainian territories.

Stressing that the issue of regions is an issue that will remain between me and Putin, Zelensky said: “I myself will tell Putin which regions Ukraine will cede.”

Zelensky described the results of the White House meeting as “good” and announced Trump’s support for holding a trilateral meeting with Putin and the US president as soon as possible.

He added that Ukraine does not insist on a ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations, stressing that “we do not need a ceasefire in the war, but a real peace agreement.”

Referring to the US role in providing security guarantees, the Ukrainian president said that the details of these guarantees would be determined within the next 10 days, but he declined to provide further details.