President Volodmyr Zelensky has called for Europe’s inclusion in the upcoming peace talks as progress was ostensibly made during talks between Washington’s Russia Envoy Steve Witkoff’s and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
While the content of Witkoff’s meeting with the Russian leader remains unclear, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff received a ceasefire proposal from Moscow outlining its conditions – about which US President Donald Trump said he had briefed Zelensky and European leaders.
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Zelensky, in a Thursday update following a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said the war – which he said needs to end – also concerns Europe, and thus Europe should be part of any future talks.
“The war is in Europe, and Ukraine is an integral part of Europe, and we are already in negotiations on joining the European Union. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
He added that an online meeting between security advisers from Ukraine, Europe and the US will convene later on Thursday to “coordinate our common views.”
Zelensky said potential bilateral and trilateral meetings were discussed during Wednesday’s call with Trump, likely referring to the separate Trump-Putin and Trump–Zelensky summits, followed potentially a Trump–Zelensky–Putin summit.
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After Moscow rejected the possibility of a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders on Thursday, Zelensky said Kyiv is ready for such meetings and “expects the same bold approach from the Russian side.”
“It is time to end the war. Thank you to everyone who helps!” he concluded.
Zelensky’s statement came after Witkoff’s Wednesday visit to Moscow and ahead of Trump’s previously announced deadline for imposing sanctions on Friday if there was no progress towards peace from Moscow.
Though Trump hailed “great progress” following Witkoff’s “highly productive” talks with Putin, he also imposed an additional 25% tariff on India – one of Russia’s key oil trading partners – over its continued purchase of Russian oil, citing it as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security and foreign policy.
The world is watching to see whether the Trump administration will follow through with the sanctions threat on Friday, after Moscow spent months brushing off Trump’s ceasefire proposals with war aims dressed up as peace plans.
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