Zelenskyy on possible negotiations with Russia: Putin is nobody to me after a full-scale invasion

This was stated in an interview with SkyNews journalists by the President of Ukraine.

When asked whether a personal meeting with Putin would help resolve the current conflict, Zelenskyy replied: "It is not interesting for me. Not interesting to meet, not interesting to speak. Why? Because we had meeting with him in Normandy Format, it was before full-scale invasion. I saw the man who said one thing and then did another. Who is he now? After full-scale invasion, for me he (Putin - ed.) is nobody, nobody.”

Zelenskyy added that he was not interested in meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation, because it was unclear who was actually making decisions in Russia.

"I can't understand - is it his decisions or somebody else? So to meet what, to shake hands? Not interesting. To speak? I really don't understand who makes decisions in Russia," Zelensky emphasized.

The President of Ukraine is convinced that the Russian dictator is waging a "great war."

"They don't want any talks, and this was the case before the invasion. President Putin decided so. I am convinced that Ukraine is just the first step for him," he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that if Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine, the war will end. And only after the end of hostilities and the aggressor country's admission of guilt are peace talks possible:

"We hope that as soon as Russia withdraws its troops back to its territory, they will recognize their big mistakes, and there will be a new government in the Russian Federation. We are neighbors. Only then will we resolve this situation. Then, perhaps, negotiations are possible."

• The United States believes that as of January 4, Russia is not ready for good faith negotiations that would help achieve peace in Ukraine on the basis of international law and the UN Charter.  

• On January 5, Turkish President Recep Erdogan called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations.  

• On January 13, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had new conditions for negotiations with Ukraine. This time, they said there would be no "Western mediators" during the talks.  

• Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his plan for a peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine are “out of the question”.