Zelenskyy reminds Putin of red lines he will never cross

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed his red lines following a two-hour phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy made it clear that Kyiv will not pull back its troops from Ukrainian territories that are partially occupied by Russian forces.

“Ukraine won’t withdraw its troops from its own territories,” he said, adding that key decisions must not be made without consulting Ukraine.

“I asked [Trump] not to make any decisions about Ukraine without us before his conversation with Putin. These are matters of principle for us and very important,” Zelenskyy added.

While Trump praised the call with the Russian president, no timeline or framework for direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow was announced. Possible venues for future negotiations include the Vatican, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Trump has now expressed a desire for the United States to take a secondary role in resolving the conflict, encouraging direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia instead.

(QG - Source: BBC  — Picture : © Unsplash)