Zelensky seeks new Trump meeting as peace negotiators tackle land issue

KYIV, January 9 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted a new meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as their officials revisited the two most problematic issues in talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

Kyiv is under U.S. pressure to secure peace, but wants security guarantees from allies and is pushing back on Russian demands to cede its eastern Donetsk region and give up control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Speaking to reporters over WhatsApp on Wednesday, Zelensky said he wanted another meeting with Trump soon to gauge his openness to a Ukrainian proposal that Washington ensure security for Kyiv for more than 15 years in the event of a ceasefire. He also urged Trump to step up pressure on Russia, which has been cool on the U.S.-backed peace push and is pressing on with its massive air attacks on Ukrainian cities and the country's energy grid. "The Americans, in my view, are being productive right now; we have good results... They need to put pressure on Russia. They have the tools, and they know how to use them," Zelensky said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suggestion of a new meeting between Zelensky and Trump. Citing the recent U.S. operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Zelensky suggested Washington could similarly move against Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Vladimir Putin ally whose troops became known for their brutality in Ukraine. "Maybe then Putin would see it and think twice," he said.

Talks in Paris this week produced commitments from Kyiv's allies to back up a ceasefire with guarantees such as a multinational troop presence. But Zelensky said the expression of "political will" had yet to be translated into legally binding pledges backed by national parliaments.

Source: reuters.com