New round of talks with Russia and the US may take place next week – Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had accepted the US proposal to hold the next round of talks with Russia to end the war. They may take place next week – on February 17 or 18. He said this in a telephone interview with Bloomberg february 10.

Zelenskiy says the meeting could take place "on Tuesday or Wednesday." However, it is unclear whether Russia will agree to talks in the United States.

Among the key topics was Washington's initiative to create a free economic zone as a buffer in eastern Donetsk region. The President noted that both Ukrainian and Russian sides are skeptical of this option.

"Neither side is interested in the idea of a free economic zone – neither the Russians nor us. We have different views on this. And the agreements were as follows: let's come back with a vision of what it might look like at the next meeting," Zelensky said.

He emphasized that if a buffer zone is created, it should be managed by Ukraine.

"If this is our territory, and this is our territory, then the country whose territory it is should manage it," Zelensky emphasized.

The president also noted that the United States is seeking to sign the entire package of documents at the same time. He emphasized that Ukraine would need to approve the peace proposal either in a parliamentary vote or in a national referendum.

"We are also talking about a plan for the sequence of all our actions, including the signing of documents. I think there should be an understanding after our next meeting," Zelensky added.

According to the president, recent talks in the United Arab Emirates focused on ceasefire mechanisms and how the United States would monitor it. But the negotiators "could not finalize the details without higher-level political decisions."

According to Zelenskyy, "the discussions clearly showed that any ceasefire will require monitoring by the United States."

"The Russians have one wording, we have another, the Americans have a third. There is an understanding that there will be monitoring, but there is also an understanding that additional work is needed on the wording and details," Zelenskyy summarized.

• During the talks in Abu Dhabi on February 4-5 with the participation of Ukraine, Russia and the United States the parties reached an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, and methods of implementing and monitoring the ceasefire were also discussed.
• on February 7, it became known that The United States is ready to participate in monitoring potential ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine.
• On the same day, it became known that The United States has proposed hold another round of trilateral talks to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine on its territory.