U.S. proposes new talks format for Russia-Ukraine peace, Zelenskyy says

The United States has proposed a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which could include American and European representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, December 20.

The announcement came during a joint press conference in Kyiv with visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. Zelenskyy said Kyiv will decide on the precise format after assessing whether bilateral discussions with U.S. negotiators, which resumed on Friday, produce positive outcomes. He added that he planned to discuss the matter further with Ukraine’s delegation chief, Rustem Umerov.

“As for a peace agreement, Umerov had talks yesterday, and I will have more details a bit later today. The U.S. said they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia. And they proposed the following format, as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia, and, since there are representatives of Europe there, probably Europe as well,” Zelenskyy said.

He also indicated that key issues remain under discussion and that he did not yet know how the United States would respond after consultations with Russian officials.

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