KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday ahead of talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia that Ukraine wants peace and Russia is the “only reason” that the war has dragged on.
Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia later Monday, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
The highly-anticipated negotiations on Tuesday on resolving the more than three-year conflict will see US and Ukrainian officials meet for the first time since Zelenskyy’s disastrous White House visit last month.
Trump threatens new Russia sanctions after strikes on Ukraine
US President Donald Trump since taking office has repeated a string of false claims about Zelenskyy and the war that echo key Kremlin talking points.
The Kremlin, which has praised Washington’s stance on the conflict since Trump took office, said Monday that it was not holding out for specific or concrete outcomes from the Saudi talks.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the United States was likely waiting to hear from the Ukrainian side that they are ready for peace.
“This is, in fact, probably what everyone is waiting for,” Peskov told reporters.
Kyiv has been urging a just and lasting end to the war for years, while appealing for security guarantees that would deter Russia from ever attacking Ukraine again.
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