Ukraine’s Zelensky, after speaking with Trump, says talks should lead to leaders’ meeting

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb 25 that he and US President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders.

Mr Zelensky, speaking after a phone conversation with Mr Trump, said the three-sided talks with Russia and the United States would take place early in March.

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also took part in the phone call.

“We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X.

“This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war.”

The telephone call took place on the eve of another meeting, between just Ukrainian and US negotiators, to discuss post-war reconstruction.

Mr Zelensky said the two leaders discussed both meetings. He thanked the United States for its “active involvement” in the peace process and for missiles for air defence systems that were helping Ukraine endure winter-time attacks.

Addressing a news conference in Kyiv earlier alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Mr Zelensky said the Feb 26 meeting would include discussion of a “prosperity package”.

Mr Zelensky said the US wanted to find a way to end as soon as possible Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. But Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart in their positions.

“In my opinion, the difficulties are not at the military level right now. The problem lies in the political will to end this war and in the issue of territories,” Mr Zelensky said.

“I think that trilateral talks will be held in early March. Tomorrow, economic documents will be prepared at a bilateral meeting between Ukraine and the United States.”

Mr Zelensky also said that Russian claims on Feb 25 that Kyiv was trying to obtain nuclear weapons were an attempt to exert political pressure on Ukraine during the talks.

He reiterated that Ukraine had no nuclear weapons and called on the US to react to what he described as dangerous Russian rhetoric.

More talks in Geneva

Mr Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council and head of Ukraine’s negotiating team will meet in Geneva on Feb 26 with special envoy Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law.

Russia’s TASS news agency, quoting a diplomatic source, said President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Mr Kirill Dmitriev, would be flying to Geneva on Feb 26 to meet US negotiators, but gave no further details. There was no official Russian comment.

Proceeding with the reconstruction of Ukraine after the destruction wrought by Russian aerial strikes and front-line combat has become a major element in broader talks on how to end the war, which entered its fifth year this week.

Kyiv hopes to attract about US$800 billion (S$1 trillion) of public and private funds over the next 10 years to rebuild the country.

The latest assessment from the World Bank released on Feb 23 showed that rebuilding Ukraine’s economy will cost an estimated US$588 billion. The assessment is based on data from Feb 24, 2022, through Dec 31, 2025.

Ukrainian officials are pitching Ukraine as a future European Union member and a lucrative investment destination but funds depend on a ceasefire and a peace deal.

Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian and US negotiators would also discuss on Feb 26 the details of prisoner-of-war exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met last week in Geneva for their third US-mediated meeting so far this year, but reached no breakthroughs on points including territory.

Russia says Ukraine must cede the final 20 per cent of the industrialised and heavily fortified eastern region of Donetsk that it still controls.

Ukraine says it will not relinquish territory that thousands have died to defend. REUTERS