Putin looking for reasons to avoid direct talks with Ukraine – Zelenskyy

10:40, 03.01.2025 1 min read

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy points to Vladimir Putin's attempts to avoid direct negotiations with him by any means.

"He is looking for reasons so as not to sit down at the negotiations table with me. And that's the story – in principle, he doesn't want any dialogue," Zelenskyy said on the air of the national telethon on Thursday.

He noted that direct negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine would be a loss for the Russian Federation, since the goal of the occupation of Ukraine had not been achieved.

"Negotiations with Ukraine are basically a loss for Russia. Why negotiations? Because it's not an ultimatum … They did not fulfill their task, which Putin set for them, so this is really not a victory for them," Zelenskyy said.