Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he must have a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to stop the war in eastern Ukraine but their meeting has not been discussed and may be addressed during the Normandy format summit (which consists of Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia).

"There are only two formats in which we can meet: the Normandy format and my face-to-face with the Russian president. No one talks about this meeting in person because everyone is against it ... However, the meeting must be held if we want the war to end. All we are talking about now is the Normandy format. It remains as is so far, and I am really grateful to our Western partners for having it, which is at least something. For now, everyone is ready for a Normandy-format meeting," Zelensky said during a press marathon in Kyiv on Thursday.