Zelensky: Ukrainian negotiators tasked with setting up Putin meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
(Image credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

When Ukrainian negotiators meet with their Russian counterparts on Monday, they will insist that the leaders of their countries meet for direct talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.

Ukraine has long been calling for talks between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Putin is the one making the final decisions about the invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports. Previously, Russia said a meeting between the leaders to discuss "specific" issues could happen.

"Our delegation has a clear task: To do everything to ensure a meeting of the presidents," Zelensky said during a video address. "The meeting that I am sure people are waiting for. Obviously this is a difficult story. A hard path. But this path is needed. And our goal is for Ukraine to get the necessary result in this struggle, in this negotiation work. Necessary for peace. And for security."

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The negotiators will meet virtually on Monday. They have already gone through three rounds of talks in Belarus, focusing mostly on humanitarian issues.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.