The president’s comments came after he said Crimea “will stay with Russia,” a position backed by the mayor of Kyiv, who conceded that his country may have to give up territory.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that his country would be ready to hold talks with Russia in any format once a ceasefire deal is in place and the fighting has stopped. Zelenskyy,

Moscow and Kyiv have not held direct negotiations since March 2022, soon after the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.