Zelensky: We have to agree with Putin..but he must come to meet me

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in an interview with Russian media that the issue of Ukraine's "neutrality", which is one of the central items in the negotiations with Russia to end the conflict, is being studied in depth, and explained that there is a need for an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he must come to it. .

In the online interview, which was broadcast on the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Zelensky said that one of the clauses of the negotiations deals with "security guarantees and neutrality."

He added, "We are ready to accept it. This item in the negotiations is under discussion, and it is being studied in depth."

He added, "But I do not want it to be a document in the manner of the Budapest Accords," referring to agreements signed by Russia in 1994 that guarantee the territorial integrity and security of three former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union.

Zelensky stressed that the agreement between the two sides must be ratified by the parliaments of the guarantor countries, reiterating that it will be subject to a referendum.

He also said, "I believe that the war can be ended quickly, and that it is Russian President Vladimir Putin and his team who are stalling."

He continued, "We have to agree with the President of the Russian Federation. But for the sake of agreement, he must leave where he is and come to meet me."

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations will meet again at the beginning of the week in a round of direct negotiations in Turkey.

And the Turkish presidency announced on Sunday evening that these negotiations will take place in Istanbul.

Zelensky was speaking in a video interview that lasted more than an hour and a half with journalists from Russia's opposition Dozhd channel and the independent website Medusa, both of which are banned in Russia, as well as the newspaper Kommersant.

In Russia, the Media Supervisory Authority, in a statement, asked the Russian media not to publish this interview, pointing out that an investigation had been opened against those who participated in its conduct.

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