Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that excluding his country from talks between the US and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be "very dangerous" and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire. Speaking in an AP interview in Kyiv, Zelensky said Russia does not want to engage in ceasefire talks or to discuss any kind of concessions, which the Kremlin interprets as losing at a time when its troops have the upper hand on the battlefield. He said President Trump could bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the table with the threat of sanctions targeting Russia's energy and banking systems.
"I think these are the closest and most important steps," he said, including continued US support for his nation's military. Zelensky's remarks followed comments Friday by Trump, who said American and Russian officials were "already talking" about ending the war. Trump said without elaborating that his administration has had "very serious" discussions with Russia, per the AP. "They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us—it is dangerous for everyone," Zelensky said.
He said that his team has been in contact with the Trump administration but that those discussions are at a "general level," adding that he wants in-person meetings soon to develop more detailed agreements. The nearly three-year war in Ukraine is at a crossroads. Trump promised to end the fighting within six months of taking office, but the two sides are far apart, and it is unclear how a ceasefire deal would take shape. Meanwhile, Russia continues to make slow but steady gains along the front, and Ukrainian forces are enduring severe manpower shortages. Most Ukrainians want a pause in fighting to rebuild their lives. The country faces near-daily Russian attacks on homes, and strikes on power systems have plunged entire cities into darkness.
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