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