In an interview with Czech radio Český rozhlas’s online portal,published on January 31, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is open to any format of peace negotiations, including trilateral talks with Russia and the United States, and said Kyiv would also be prepared to meet directly with President Putin if this would genuinely advance the process. Referring to the 20-point peace plan, he added that territorial issues—particularly the fate of territories occupied during the war—remain among the most sensitive and difficult questions and cannot be resolved without a direct agreement between the parties.
Zelensky said strong security guarantees are of key importance for Ukraine. These include the prospect of EU membership and appropriate international assurances that would strengthen the country’s independence and security in the post-war period. According to the president, a detailed security guarantee document is already ready to be submitted to the U.S. Congress, but similar European support is also required to achieve lasting peace.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s long-term goal is to rebuild the country. He stressed that security guarantees are essential not only from a political and military perspective, but also for economic reasons: foreign investors will only be willing to participate in the reconstruction if they can be confident that peace will be lasting.
