DistantNews
Support us
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Zelenskyy says the territorial issue can be resolved only through presidential talks

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the territorial issue at the center of efforts to end the war with Russia can be resolved only at the presidential level.
  • U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said both Moscow and Kyiv would need to make compromises, while Jared Kushner described the Kyiv visit as opening new avenues for progress.
  • Negotiations remain stalled over Moscow’s demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw fully from the eastern Donetsk region, a demand Kyiv rejects.

Ukraine’s territorial dispute with Russia remains stuck at the point where diplomacy meets presidential authority. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after talks in Kyiv with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys that such a complex issue could be resolved only through meetings between heads of state.

I want to stick to my position, which is that such complex issues can be resolved only at the leadership level.

· Volodymyr ZelenskyyHe spoke after initial talks in Kyiv with U.S. envoys about negotiations with Russia.

“I want to stick to my position, which is that such complex issues can be resolved only at the leadership level,” Zelenskyy told a news conference. He has previously called for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address the territorial question, but the Kremlin has rejected that proposal.

Steve Witkoff, one of the U.S. envoys, urged Moscow and Kyiv to make compromises as they search for a way out of the war, which began with Russia’s invasion in 2022. “Both sides will have to make compromises and we believe we have the elements to achieve that,” Witkoff said at the same news conference. He called the task “very difficult” but said the United States remained determined and hoped it would lead to a diplomatic solution.

Both sides will have to make compromises and we believe we have the elements to achieve that.

· Steve WitkoffThe U.S. envoy urged Moscow and Kyiv to compromise in seeking a diplomatic solution.

Jared Kushner, another U.S. envoy and Trump’s son-in-law, said earlier that the trip to Kyiv had “opened new avenues for progress.” It was the first visit to Ukraine by Witkoff, a businessman close to Trump, and Kushner since they began working as mediators in the conflict. The envoys had visited Moscow on Saturday.

Very difficult.

· Steve WitkoffHe described the challenge of reaching an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump has launched several rounds of talks since returning to the White House at the start of 2025, but they have not produced tangible progress so far. The negotiations have essentially stalled over territory. Moscow demands a complete Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donetsk region, while Kyiv categorically rejects that demand.

Opened new avenues for progress.

· Jared KushnerKushner characterized the U.S. envoys’ visit to Kyiv.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog