Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in an interview with the American channel NBC on Sunday that he is “not ready” for negotiations with Russia until it withdraws its troops from Ukraine, AFP reports.

Volodymyr ZelenskyiPhoto: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

The United States “knows that I am not ready to talk to terrorists, because their word is worthless,” Volodymyr Zelenskyi told NBC.

He was commenting on reports that US and European officials had spoken to his government about negotiating an end to the war with Russia.

His comments also come after a senior Ukrainian commander said this week that the two armies were trapped in a war of attrition and position.

“At the moment, I don’t have any relations with Russia, and they know my position,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that “they should leave our territory, and only then will the world be able to launch diplomacy.”

According to Zelenskyi, the conflict is in a “difficult situation”, but it is not standing still.

“On the front line, it’s no secret, we don’t have air defense. This is why Russia controls the sky. If they control the whole sky, we cannot advance quickly until we have air defense,” he added.

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