Ukraine will continue to work with partners, including the US, on peace proposals, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, the second day of talks in Switzerland after Washington proposed a plan calling for concessions from Kiev.
“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us,” Zelenskyy said via video link from Sweden, where he was attending a summit of countries seeking Russian withdrawal from Ukraine's occupied Crimea Peninsula.
On Sunday, Ukraine and the United States said in a joint statement they had drafted a "refined peace framework" after talks in Geneva, although they did not provide specifics.
Zelenskyy said Russia must pay for the war in Ukraine and that a decision on using frozen Russian assets was crucial.
“Right now, we are at a critical moment," he said.
“There is a lot of noise in the media, and all the political pressure, and even greater responsibility for the decisions ahead.”
Putin to talk to Erdogan on peace efforts
The Kremlin, separately, said on Monday that it had not received any official information about the outcome of the Ukraine peace talks held on Sunday in Geneva.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin would not be discussing details of any draft agreement via the media.
He also said there were no plans yet for a meeting this week between Russian and US negotiators.
The Kremlin underlined that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will hold a phone call on Monday.
The Turkish President said Türkiye is “ready to maintain the same constructive stance today” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it did in playing a key role earlier in Istanbul.”
United front
EU chief Antonio Costa said Monday he spoke with President Zelenskyy ahead of an emergency meeting of European Union leaders to discuss the updated plan for Ukraine.
"Spoke with President Zelenskyy ahead of this morning’s informal EU leaders’ meeting on Ukraine peace efforts, to get his assessment of the situation," Costa, president of the European Council, said on X.
"A united and coordinated EU position is key in ensuring a good outcome of peace negotiations — for Ukraine and for Europe," he said ahead of the meeting to be held on the sidelines of a summit in Angola.
Red lines
Ukraine's red lines for negotiations are the formal recognition of occupied territories, limits on Ukraine's defence forces, and restrictions on Ukraine's future alliances, the speaker of the country's parliament said on Monday.
Those positions have long been stated by Ukraine, but run counter to the proposals in a US-backed peace proposal presented to Kiev last week.
Speaking at the Crimea Platform summit in Sweden, speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk also said membership of the EU and NATO must be elements of Ukraine's security guarantees and any peace plan.
