President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on November 16 that Western countries have given “signals” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking direct negotiations with Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reports.

Volodymyr ZelenskyiPhoto: American Photo Archive / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

“We received signals that Putin wants direct negotiations,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. Instead of the typical closed-door talks, Zelensky said he was proposing public talks with the Kremlin because “Russia is waging a public war.”

Ukraine and Russia held peace talks in the early stages of a full-scale war, but nothing came of them. Ukraine declared the impossibility of negotiations with Russia until the complete withdrawal of troops from its territory. President Volodymyr Zelensk said he would be open to this idea only if Putin is no longer in power.

Putin, 70, has dominated Russian politics for more than two decades and, based on constitutional reforms enacted during his presidency, could run for two more terms, potentially remaining in power until 2036.

On Tuesday, Zelensky presented G20 leaders gathered in Indonesia with a 10-point plan to end the war launched by Vladimir Putin on February 24, including the withdrawal of Russian troops and an end to hostilities.

“Russia should withdraw all its troops and armed formations from the territory of Ukraine, and Kyiv should be given the opportunity to take control of all sections of its state border with the Russian Federation”, – says one of the points of the plan.

But Moscow did not like this plan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the conditions proposed by Zelensky “unrealistic”.

In fact, Gen. Mark Milley has made significant efforts to find a diplomatic solution in recent weeks as fighting moves into a winter lull.

But Milley’s position did not find broad support among US President Joe Biden’s national security team, including US foreign policy chief Anthony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Neither believes it is time to pressure Ukraine to negotiate, according to two administration officials familiar with the discussion.