President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but without his intermediaries and on the terms of dialogue, not ultimatums.
“I am ready to talk with Putin. But only with him. Without any of his intermediaries. And on the terms of dialogue, and not on the terms of ultimatums,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Italian TV channel Rai 1, published on the head of state’s Telegram channel. on Friday.
At the same time, the president noted that the very issue of negotiations with Putin is becoming more complicated day by day.
“Because every day (Russia – IF) small, I would say, towns are occupied, where they live or lived, unfortunately, we state that people lived. Because many of them left their homes. And many people were killed. When we If we de-occupy these places, we see traces of bullying, executions and destruction of infrastructure by the Russian military. And it is precisely because of this that the moments regarding the possibility of negotiations become more complicated,” he said.
Also, according to him, the Ukrainian society itself is not positive about the negotiations between the President of Ukraine and the President of Russia.
Answering the question of what kind of world Ukraine wants, Zelensky replied that it should be Russia’s respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, traditions and people, language and people, society and independence.
“All this was violated by the Russian Federation. It needs to be restored. What does this mean? Withdraw your troops. I’m not saying that we need to return all the loot – but these are not values for us. Values are living people … Please go beyond the borders of our state” he summed up.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, received information about the “current situation and the negotiation process” between Russia and Ukraine, according to a press release from the German government.
“The chancellor was informed about the current situation (in Ukraine) and about the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia, designed to end the conflict,” the document says.
Scholz and Zelensky also discussed “concrete, practical ways” to provide further assistance to Ukraine and “agreed to remain in close contact.”
In addition, according to the document, Scholz “expressed condolences in connection with the death of the first president of independent Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will take part in a virtual meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday, May 8, where they will discuss Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The date of the meeting was chosen on purpose, and on May 9, US President Joseph Biden will sign the Lend-Lease Act, the US administration said.
“On Sunday morning, President Biden will participate in a virtual meeting of G7 leaders chaired by German Chancellor Scholz. Ukrainian President Zelensky will join the leaders. They will discuss the latest developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the global implications of Putin’s war, demonstrate support for Ukraine and the future of Ukraine, and will demonstrate the continued unity of the G7 and our collective response, including ramping up our unprecedented sanctions…,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Friday.
She indicated that Biden will sign the Lend-Lease Act of 2022 on Monday, May 9.
“Well, I think one should not lose sight of … the meaning of the schedule is … when this G7 meeting will take place, which is the day before Victory Day in Russia, which Putin wanted to mark as the day of victory over Ukraine. Of course, this is not so. Although he expected to march through the streets of Kyiv, this is clearly not going to happen,” Psaki said.
“But, of course, this meeting and conversation on Sunday is an opportunity not only to show how united the West is in confronting the aggression and invasion of President Putin, but also to show that unity requires work; it requires effort; it requires blood, sweat and sometimes tears. And President Biden is determined to keep working to keep the people united – to keep these leaders united as they move forward,” the White House press secretary added.
She also clarified that on May 10, Biden will receive Italian President Mario Draghi, and support for Ukraine will also be discussed at this meeting.
Ukraine needs a strategic plan for international support, it will be a modern analogue of the historic Marshall Plan, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said while speaking via video link at the High-Level International Donor Conference on Ukraine in Warsaw on Thursday.
“The restoration of Ukraine must now become as historical an example for our time and future as the restoration of European countries after World War II… It will be an investment in the stability of all of Central and Eastern Europe. So that the aggressor knows that he will not break the power of Europe and freer nations that everything that was destroyed by the war will be restored,” Zelensky stressed.
He noted that freedom must demonstrate that it protects and provides people better than tyranny, which for decades has enjoyed a huge flow of money, the sale of oil, gas and other raw materials, which is why this conference is so important for everyone in Europe both strategically and in tactical terms.
Zelensky pointed out that Ukraine now retains full functionality, but needs sufficient financial resources “so that Ukrainian men and women are provided with everything necessary,” and in continuous work, the state, as the manager of these funds, will cover priority defense, social and humanitarian needs.
The President added that a large-scale recovery and reconstruction plan is already being prepared.
If this new Marshall Plan for Ukraine provides for quick and sufficient steps, he said, it will mean that millions of Ukrainians who have been displaced by the war will be able to return home.
“How this brutal war will end is decided not only on the battlefield, but also in matters of economy and finance, and humanitarian support, and in the ability to ensure a normal life in the liberated territories and restore what was destroyed by the Russian army,” Zelensky summed up. .
He added that Ukraine invites its partners – civilized and responsible countries – to take over the patronage of those regions, cities and industries of Ukraine that suffered from the war unleashed by Russia, in order to jointly ensure their full restoration.
“I believe that today Europe will show its strength, you will show your strength, including the strength of international institutions, the UN institutions, whose representatives are now with us … because this is for common freedom,” Zelensky concluded his speech.
Ukraine needs to unite the position of the Europeans today, because this will achieve greater success and victory in the battle with Russia, believes boxer, brother of the mayor of Kyiv Vladimir Klitschko.
“The leader of Germany’s largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz, was in Kyiv today. He met with the top leadership of Ukraine, met with the mayor of the capital. He expressed support and assured of further assistance to our state. And we are grateful for this. I am convinced that Ukraine today critically needs reliable and powerful partners, with whom it is necessary to talk, develop cooperation, be grateful for something, convince of something,” Klitschko wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
He noted that Germany was concerned that Ukraine refused to accept German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“The non-diplomatic statements of the Ukrainian ambassador to the German chancellor are also adding fuel to the fire. Now is not the time for emotions and excessive eloquence! I am sure that President Zelensky must nevertheless take a politically balanced step and invite the President of Germany, Ukraine’s strategic partner state, to Kyiv. We we need to unite the position of the Europeans today – this is how we will achieve greater success for our country and victory in the battle with the Russian aggressor,” Klitschko summed up.
In April, the German publication Bild, citing its own sources, reported that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier planned to come to Kyiv along with government delegations from other EU countries, but Zelensky allegedly did not want to meet him because of the close ties of the German leader with Russia.
Later, Steinmeier himself said that Kyiv considered his possible visit to Ukraine undesirable, adding that Polish President Andrzej Duda had proposed a joint trip to Ukraine in recent days in order to “give a strong signal of European solidarity with Ukraine.”
Against this background, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to the German edition Der Tagesspiegel, criticized Ukraine’s refusal to receive the German president on a visit, calling it “somewhat confusing” and urged not to underestimate the fact that Germany supplies Ukraine with anti-aircraft missiles and many other goods military purpose.
On April 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Office of the President of Ukraine had not received a request from the Office of the President of Germany regarding the visit of German leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Ukraine.
At the same time, he stressed that in the conditions of war and the daily death of people in Ukraine, she has the right to afford “to receive and be in the circle of those leaders of countries who really support her.”
The main topics in the contacts of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with the leaders of other countries remain defense and financial support of the state, blocking of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, the threat of a food crisis, Presidential Press Secretary Sergei Nikiforov said.
“The list of issues is the same. There is an urgent issue – blocking our ports in the Black Sea. There is a threat of a general food crisis and a food crisis in certain regions of different countries, because Ukraine is a supplier of agricultural products for many markets. And now because of violations of supply chains and supply chains, such a threat exists,” Nikiforov said on the air of the national telethon on Sunday.
Also, according to him, topical issues are financial support for the Ukrainian economy in the conditions of war, sanctions against the Russian Federation and defense support.
“With some of the leaders, certain issues come to the fore, with others – in the background. It depends on the country and each specific situation,” he said.
