Volodymyr Zelensky has challenged Vladimir Putin to do two things ahead of fresh peace talks in Saudi Arabia next week. The Russian president was ordered to release Ukrainian prisoners and stop launching missiles if he is serious about bringing an end to the three-year-long war. Mr Zelensky said freeing prisoners of war would “establish basic trust” during a meeting in Brussels with European Council and European Commission leaders.
He added peace should begin with “a truce for missiles, bombs, long-range drones – no military operations in the Black Sea” and urged leaders to “make sure that Russia, as the sole source of this war, accepts the need to end it”. The Ukrainian president wrote on X: “Ukrainians truly want peace but not at the cost of giving up Ukraine. The real question for any negotiations is whether Russia is capable of giving up the war.”
The emergency meeting of EU leaders in Brussels resulted in a £670 billion boost for Ukraine’s military, put forward by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Mr Zelensky will then travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His team of negotiators plan “to work with our American partners” following Donald Trump’s pause on aid.
He wrote on X: “I am scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the crown prince. After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace.
“As we told President Trump, Ukraine is working and will work exclusively constructively for a quick and reliable peace.”
Mr Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Ukrainian officials to “get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire”, he said.
The location of the talks has not yet been decided, but Mr Witkoff suggested Riyadh or Jeddah. Riyadh hosted the last US-Russian negotiations, where officials agreed to explore “economic and investment opportunities” that could come out of ending the war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “the first step of a long and difficult journey” to bringing longstanding peace.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that it was “very useful” and he had “every reason to believe that the American side understands our position”.
