Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said new trilateral talks on a Ukraine settlement involving representatives from Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington should take place by autumn.
During a joint press conference in Kyiv with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Zelensky commented on proposals he briefly received from US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner during a phone call on Wednesday.
Zelensky expressed that he seeks to discuss the proposal put forward by the US side "in the near future," and after that, based on the format they have followed for the past year, Washington will then communicate with Moscow.
"After that, if we understand that we have the opportunity to discuss this plan seriously, I think there will be a trilateral meeting then. Of course, we need to do all this by the fall," Zelensky said.
Stating that he thinks they need to work hard on this, Zelensky said that such a meeting would be held this month "if it were up to us."
"But not everything depends on us. The Americans want to meet, but we must not forget that the Americans are focused on Iran," the Ukrainian president added.
Zelensky's remarks come after meeting with the Irish taoiseach in the Ukrainian capital, where he said they discussed the threats and challenges Kyiv is currently facing ahead of autumn.
"It's important that today we have a decision on the European Union's new sanctions package against Russia. And I'm grateful to every European leader who made this possible. This is already the 21st package, and today Micheal assured me that he will work toward the 22nd," Zelensky said through US social media company X.
He also expressed gratitude to Ireland for its readiness to keep supporting Ukraine's work toward EU accession during its presidency in the Council of the EU, adding: "It's very important that Ireland, as the country holding the Presidency, provides leadership, and that Ukraine can count on opening the remaining clusters."
"I am here to express the steadfast and unwavering solidarity of the EU, and of Ireland, with the government and people of Ukraine. Our support for Ukraine is as strong as it has ever been," Martin said on X, for his part.
Under US mediation, Russia and Ukraine last held three rounds of peace talks in January and February in a bid to find a settlement for the armed conflict, which is now in its fifth year.
Negotiations have since been paused, with Moscow and Kyiv attributing the halt to the US focus on Iran and the armed conflict in the Middle East, which began on Feb. 28.
