"They say they want everything ready by June," Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainian and international media.
US mediators will "probably put pressure on the parties based on that," he added.
After two rounds of trilateral talks in recent weeks, the US has invited new talks to be held in the United States, according to the Ukrainian president. He said the talks are proposed to take place in a week and “probably in Miami,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine has accepted them.
Still little progress
The Ukrainian president spoke at a press conference on Friday, with the proviso that his remarks be published only on Saturday morning.
A first round of trilateral talks with US representatives at the table was held in Abu Dhabi the weekend before last.
All parties involved have consistently spoken positively about the talks, saying they are steps in the right direction, but have also reiterated that much remains to be done. As far as is known, they have agreed on an exchange of around a hundred prisoners.
The major stumbling blocks appear to remain: Russia claims the entire disputed Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and Ukraine demands clear security guarantees to prevent future invasions.
“Nothing about us without us”
Regarding the Donbas, Ukraine has been adamant that a ceasefire should be based on the current front line. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also emphasized that Ukraine will not agree to any agreements concluded “about us, without us.”
From the Russian side, it has been suggested that President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump agreed on "territorial matters" when they met in Alaska in August last year.
US President Donald Trump said ahead of his 2024 election victory that he would resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in less than 24 hours. His administration has since given various deadlines and exerted varying levels of pressure to make both Ukraine and the invading power, Russia, more willing to negotiate and compromise.
According to Ukraine's Zelenskyy, the Russian delegation has proposed an economic cooperation package between Russia and the United States worth over 100 trillion Swedish kronor.
