Ukraine prepares for talks with Russia and US: Zelenskyy outlines details

A new round of trilateral meetings between Ukraine, the United States and Russia on ending the war is scheduled for February 4 and 5. Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the negotiating team, during which the framework for the upcoming talks and specific tasks for the delegation were agreed.

The President of Ukraine said this on social media.

The negotiating group that took part in the meeting included:

• Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov;

• Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov;

• Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Serhiy Kyslytsia;

• Chief of the General Staff, General Andrii Hnatov;

• Adviser to the Office of the President Oleksandr Bevz;

• Head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction Davyd Arakhamia.

In addition to the trilateral format, Ukraine will hold separate bilateral meetings with U.S. representatives. The president said Ukraine was ready for «real steps» toward achieving a lasting peace.

Security guarantees and economic recovery

Zelenskyy said a bilateral document on security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States was already ready. Kyiv is now expecting further work on a package of documents related to the country’s economic development and recovery.

«We believe that the bilateral document on security guarantees with the United States is ready, and we are counting on further substantive work on documents related to recovery and economic development, ” Zelenskyy said.

The president stressed the importance of the U.S. side’s determination in ensuring the conditions for dialogue. He noted that de-escalation measures that began overnight last Friday were already helping to increase public trust in the negotiation process.

«The war must be ended, ” Zelenskyy said, thanking international partners for their support.