Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would be “empty” and “meaningless”.
“The world is waiting for Ukraine to come up with a compromise plan tomorrow on how to end the war,” he said at a meeting in Kiev.
“It is not that there are no compromises with Putin, but the dialogue with Putin today is empty and meaningless, because he does not want to end the war diplomatically,” Zelensky argued.
Putin may be willing to engage in diplomatic negotiations, Zelensky said, but he is making it a condition that Kiev recognizes Russia’s seizure of 30% of Ukrainian territory.
“We will not play along with him,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president said his troops’ advance into the southern Russian region of Kursk has silenced Kiev’s critics.
Ukraine presented its own path to peace at a summit in Switzerland in June.
The plan provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from all parts of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula.
Russia would also agree to pay reparations and hold its political and military leaders accountable before an international court.
