Putin is not against Ukraine's accession to the EU: «It is Kyiv's sovereign right»

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. Photo: AFP

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin is ready for direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that he considers the country's accession to the European Union «to be Kyiv's sovereign right».

He said this in a comment to «RIA-Novosti».

According to Peskov, the Russian president will sit down with the Ukrainian leader, but «the fixing of the agreements should be discussed taking into account the existing possibility of challenging Zelenskyy's legitimacy».

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«Putin himself has repeatedly said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelenskyy if necessary, but the legal fixation of the agreements is subject to serious discussion, taking into account the reality that Zelenskyy's legitimacy may be challenged,» the Kremlin spokesman said.

He also said that the Kremlin is not against Ukraine's accession to the EU, it is «Kyiv's sovereign right, as it is not a military alliance». However, he noted that «the EU's plans to create its own army should be closely monitored and conclusions drawn».

Peace talks

Earlier, Donald Trump said that the United States was engaged in constructive negotiations on a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In particular, he expressed hope that agreements would be reached as soon as possible.

He also claimed that Washington had already made some progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In addition, Donald Trump indicated that his administration had already held discussions with Moscow, but did not specify who participated in such a dialogue. Also, during his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table in negotiations on Ukraine.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations between the United States and Russia to end the war without Kyiv's participation pose a threat to everyone.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the sake of peace, despite his hostile attitude. He also added that he did not see a ready-made peace plan from Trump, but conveyed his readiness to negotiate.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not recognise the loss of its territories, but is ready for diplomatic solutions to return them if it becomes a NATO member.