President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to negotiate with Putin if it is the only agreement that brings peace to Ukraine, he said in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, published on February 4.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is ready to end the "active phase" of the war and that its willingness to negotiate with Russia is already a compromise.
"We will talk to Putin... Even the very act of talking to Putin is a compromise," Zelenskyy told Morgan.
When asked how he would feel sitting across from Putin in a face-to-face meeting, Zelenskyy dismissed his personal emotions on the matter.
"If this is the only way we can bring peace to the people of Ukraine and avoid further losses, then we will absolutely take this path... What does my personal attitude toward him matter?" Zelenskyy said.
"I will not be kind to him; I consider him an enemy. And, to be honest, I believe he sees me as an enemy too," he added.
Zelenskyy once again emphasized that the negotiation process must involve Ukraine, the U.S., the European Union, and Russia. He also stated that Kyiv has no intention of ceding any occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Zelenskyy and Putin to "make a deal" to end the war and has also promised to achieve a ceasefire within the first six months of his term.
Background. As Reuters recently reported, the Trump administration wants Ukraine to hold elections immediately after a ceasefire. The winner of the elections would then be responsible for signing a longer-term agreement with Russia, according to the White House.