Zelenskyy urges direct talks with Putin as Trump sets peace deadline

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put out a statement praising President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace and calling for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We see and support President Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war, to stop the killing, and to achieve a dignified and lasting peace. We are grateful to everyone around the world who supports peace efforts and helps us protect lives,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too. Ukraine calls for moving beyond the exchange of statements and technical-level meetings to talks between leaders. The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness,” the Ukrainian leader added.

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Trump also announced on Friday that he was repositioning two nuclear submarines after a “highly provocative” conversation with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

“Based on the highly provocative statements of the former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Zelenskyy’s message comes as Putin has just one week to meet Trump’s deadline for ending the three-and-a-half-year war. Acting U.S. Representative John Kelley announced the deadline at a United Nations Security Council briefing on “Threats to International Peace and Security.”

Trump, who has consistently voiced his desire to end the war, recently said Russia’s actions against Ukraine were “disgusting.”

“Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace,” Kelley said.

Kelley reiterated the U.S.’s support of Ukraine’s right to defend itself in the face of Russian attacks.

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“Our support for Ukraine’s defense cannot be compared to the supply of arms and material to Russia, which enables Russia to continue its full-scale invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory,” Kelley said. “Last week, we called on all UN Member States to help bring the war to an end by ceasing any and all support to Russia’s war efforts. We do so again today.”

The American diplomat explicitly named North Korea, China, and Iran as countries that have helped Russia both directly and indirectly. He said that while Beijing has not directly provided Moscow with weapons, it has acted as a “decisive enabler” by “being the most important supplier of Russia’s war industrial machine.”

It seems unlikely that Russia would come to the negotiating table as it carried out a deadly airstrike against Kyiv and its representatives at the U.N. appeared to double down on Moscow’s desire to retake Ukraine.

“We are not seeking to destroy [Ukraine], its culture or its identity. We would like Ukrainian [and] Russian cultures coexist in this country, as it used to be for decades without any problems or conflicts,” Russia’s Mission to the U.N. wrote on X.

In the early hours of Thursday, Russia launched more than 300 drones and eight missiles that hit residential areas in Kyiv. On Friday, Ukraine mourned after 31 were killed in the strike, which was the deadliest air attack carried out by Moscow this year. The death toll includes five children, one of whom was just two years old, according to Reuters. Additionally, more than 150 people were wounded, including 16 children.