Ukrainian foreign minister: Zelensky ready to meet Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to negotiate sensitive issues directly with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to end Russia's war, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

The most sensitive issues in the search for a peace settlement have yet to be resolved, Sybiha said in an interview with the Ukrainian portal Jewropejska Prawda. These include territorial questions and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Zelensky is ready to meet Putin to resolve these issues, Sybiha said.

Russia is demanding territorial concessions from Ukraine as a condition for a ceasefire, in particular the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, has been occupied by Russian troops since March 2022, shortly after the start of the war.

Zelensky has repeatedly called for a meeting with the Russian president in the past, while Moscow has consistently been reluctant.

At the weekend, negotiators from Ukraine and Russia held direct talks for the first time in months in the United Arab Emirates, mediated by the United States. The talks are due to continue on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.