Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he is now willing to meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict between their countries. Zelensky told British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday that he is willing to talk face-to-face with President Putin if that is “the only way to achieve peace for Ukrainians and not lose people.”
For the first time, Zelensky admitted Ukraine cannot recover the territory it has lost to Russia and that it is unwise to “lose millions of people in pursuit of a result that may not come.” He suggested Ukraine can pivot to using diplomatic and political strategies to restore Ukrainian control over lost territories.
According to Zelensky, around 45,000 Ukrainians have died in the war, which began in February of 2022, and around 390,000 have been wounded. He claims that Russian casualties amount to 350,000 killed and as many as 700,000 wounded. However, Russia estimates Ukrainian casualties of up to one million while treating its own losses as classified.
Russia has described Zelensky’s statements on negotiations with Putin as “empty.” Still, it says it is open to talks and that contact with the U.S. government has increased since President Donald J. Trump replaced Joe Biden.
Russia has refused to recognize Zelensky since his term as president ended in May last year. Due to Ukraine’s martial law, there have been no new elections.
