Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he expects US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to convey Russia's response to proposals for a ceasefire following their planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin in Dublin, Zelenskyy said proposals for an energy truce and a ceasefire at sea were among the issues raised during recent talks in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, but the Russian delegation did not have a mandate to respond to those proposals.
He said the discussions also covered a possible prisoner exchange, security guarantees for Ukraine, and preparations for a potential meeting between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and the US.
On the humanitarian track, Zelenskyy said the sides discussed exchanging 1,000 or potentially 1,200 prisoners of war, adding that he saw no reason for Moscow to reject the proposal.
He also reiterated Kyiv's proposal for an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange, saying thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners currently remain in captivity.
"Nevertheless, we agreed that the American side would meet with the Russian leader and that all these issues would be raised there. Therefore, I expect to receive a response, at the very least," he said.
Zelenskyy said he would meet the US envoys in Dublin on Thursday after their talks in Russia.
He stressed that Europe must take part as an equal party in future negotiations, saying its involvement is essential to a fair settlement.
