Peace, return of normal life ‘obvious’ goals in talks with Russia: Zelensky

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday stressed that peace and the restoration of normal life was the priority ahead of  a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia set to commence this week in Istanbul, Turkey.

Speaking via a video message posted on social media, the 44-year-old said that Ukrainian diplomats would be looking to secure peace “without delay” in the new round of talks.

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“Our priorities in the negotiations are known. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory. Our goal is obvious: peace and the restoration of normal life in our native state as soon as possible,” Zelensky said, highlighting his hopes ahead of the high-stakes talks.

Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian President told independent Russian journalists that Kyiv would be open to discussing a neutral status for the contested Donbas region, signalling a willingness to come to a compromise for peace.

However, Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine was not willing to solely discuss “denazification” with Russia, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s speech at the start of the invasion on February 24, wherein he vowed to “denazify” and “demilitarise” Ukraine.

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While earlier round of talks had yielded no agreement between the two warring sides, there is hope that the new round of talks that begin on Tuesday could, potentially, bring an end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine that has now dragged on for over a month and claimed thousands of lives, of both soldiers and civilians alike.

In the context of the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, that has slowly but steadily shifted from an invasion to a war of attrition, this week’s talks in Turkey could be crucial in preventing further bloodshed in the eastern European country.