Zelensky: Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire during the Easter holidays,"the ball is in the court of the U.S. and russia"

“I do not believe that we have a deadlock (in the negotiations – ed.). What should we do after it, surrender, relax? Let russia surrender, we will not. We must organize a trilateral meeting and move forward along the diplomatic track, do everything for this. And in order to be strong at the negotiating table, one must be strong on the battlefield. I am grateful to the Armed Forces that today we are much stronger than in the past six months”, - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 30, answering journalists’ questions, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

He emphasized that the Ukrainian side is ready to meet “in any format, in any place, except russia and belarus”. “A trilateral meeting must take place. It is certainly being postponed due to the fact that the U.S’s focus today is on Iran. This is understandable, but we very much want no one to forget about russia’s war against Ukraine. I am grateful to Europe, which does not forget, and many representatives of the U.S. constantly raise this issue”, - Zelensky said.

According to him, the trilateral meeting will take place “when both sides: both russia and America—will be able to meet with us”.

“Today, America proposed to meet in the USA, we supported it, and russia said that it does not meet in America. Russia proposed Turkey or Switzerland, I don’t remember, three weeks have passed. America said that the negotiating group is currently not leaving America. We are ready to support the USA, we are ready to support a meeting in Switzerland, in Turkey, and wherever the partners are ready. Now the ball is in the court of the U.S. and russia”, - the president noted.

In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready for any format of ceasefire, in particular, for Easter.

“We supported any formats of ending the war, you know this, but when you do not lose the dignity and independence of our state. And a ceasefire, any formats, as we have already said, both full and energy-related, and we are ready for a ceasefire during the Easter holidays”, - Zelensky said.