Sybiha Says Zelenskyy Open to Direct Talks with Putin

(MENAFN) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to tackle the “most sensitive” matters outlined in a 20-point peace initiative aimed at bringing an end to the almost four-year-long war.

Speaking to the Ukrainian online newspaper European Pravda in comments released Tuesday, Sybiha explained that Kyiv is seeking to formalize the peace framework that has been under consideration since November of last year, provided consensus is reached.

He emphasized, however, that the “most sensitive” components remain unsettled, particularly questions surrounding territorial control and the functioning of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

“It is precisely to resolve them that the president is ready to meet with Putin and discuss this,” Sybiha said. He added that he sees no justification for a separate meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, insisting that the sides “should not create parallel tracks.”

“There are negotiating teams that include representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And creating additional tracks is not timely and unnecessary,” he said.

Addressing last week’s discussions involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, Sybiha noted that progress in efforts to end the war had made those three-party talks possible.

He confirmed that one-on-one meetings were also held in Abu Dhabi, characterizing the talks as “very complex,” and said the exchanges were “very focused.”

Sybiha further revealed that a distinct negotiation channel brought together military officials from both sides.

According to him, these talks featured “substantive” dialogue on the terms of a potential ceasefire and on the mechanisms that would be used to monitor or verify any suspension of fighting.

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