Berlin, Aug 16 (EFE).- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia’s refusal to agree to a cease-fire before embarking on negotiating a peace deal complicates the situation.
“We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation,” the Ukrainian president stated in a message on X.
“If they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbors for decades,” he added.
Nevertheless, Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine is working with its allies towards peace and security.
Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war,” reiterated the Ukrainian president, who added that he is preparing for a meeting on Monday in Washington with United States President Donald Trump, who met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
“It is important that everyone agrees there needs to be a conversation at the level of leaders to clarify all the details and determine which steps are necessary and will work,” he commented regarding Trump’s proposal for a trilateral summit with Putin.
In earlier statements on Saturday, the Ukrainian president set among the priorities for negotiating a peace agreement the declaration of a ceasefire on all fronts and the release of all Ukrainians in Russian captivity.
He also insisted on the importance of credible security guarantees involving both Europe and the US, and demanded that territorial issues should not be decided without Ukraine. EFE
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