Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Only face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin can end war

A Ukrainian special police officer walks next to a destroyed building as he patrols during night curfew in Kharkiv (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Ukraine could declare neutrality and offer security guarantees to Russia to secure peace “without delay,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of another planned round of talks — though he said only a face-to-face meeting with Russia’s leader could end the war.

In an interview with independent Russian media outlets, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine’s priority is ensuring its sovereignty and its “territorial integrity” — preventing Russia from carving up the country, something Ukraine and the West say could now be Moscow’s goal.