In bilateral discussions with US officials, Zelenskyy made a point of comparing the proposal, which was formally presented to his office, to the one that Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko had discussed.
The framework has been altered, the author claims. He remarked at a press conference in Kyiv, “Let us study this framework, and then we can talk.”
Additionally, the Ukrainian president added that Kyiv would not recognize US military aid that had previously been approved as repayable loans.
Without mentioning whether such a demand appeared in the most recent version of the US proposal, he said, “We are grateful for the support, but this is not a credit, and we will not allow it to be treated as such.”
After Trump’s rift last month, which saw the United States stop funding of previously agreed military aid and stop sharing intelligence, Zelenskyy faces a major challenge.
Trump’s attempt to end the fighting with Russia is also highly sensitive diplomatically, while shifting Washington’s position to support Moscow’s version of the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy ruled out any discussions with President Vladimir Putin with regard to potential negotiations with Moscow, saying Ukraine could talk to Russian officials about a possible resolution to the war.
The president of Russia made the remarks in response to his proposal to temporarily put Ukraine under external control as part of an effort to reach a peaceful settlement.
He also reaffirmed his claim that Zelenskyy, whose term ended last year, lacks the right to sign a peace deal. While Ukraine is in martial law, it is prohibited to hold national elections in violation of its constitution.
Putin asserted that any successors to the current Ukrainian government could challenge any agreement and that new elections could be held under external control.
Putin said that “we could discuss the possibility of the introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends.”
He added that it would allow the nation to “hold democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people, and then to start negotiations with them on a peace treaty.”
Without going into further detail, he said that such external governance is “one of the options.”
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