(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has reiterated his request for a face-to-face dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, asserting that only such a high-level discussion can secure a permanent resolution to the ongoing conflict.

While Zelensky emphasizes the importance of direct engagement, Moscow maintains that any such encounter would be futile unless the two nations' delegations first establish a mutual understanding.

Earlier in May, Putin proposed restarting direct peace negotiations from the moment Ukraine unilaterally withdrew from the talks in 2022.

In response, Zelensky countered with an invitation for Putin to meet him personally in Istanbul. Under what was reported as pressure from Washington, Ukraine ultimately consented to send a delegation.

Since then, both parties have conducted two rounds of discussions, which led to prisoner swaps but failed to make meaningful strides toward resolving the war.

By June, the dialogue came to a standstill after Kiev rejected Russia’s peace terms.

Subsequently, Ukrainian officials declared the negotiation effort “exhausted,” suggesting that their participation was primarily to avoid seeming dismissive of US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic overtures.

On Saturday, Zelensky reiterated his call for a renewed round of negotiations, stressing the urgency of the matter.

He insisted that the “pace of negotiations must be increased” and once more demanded a personal meeting with Putin.

“A meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure a lasting peace,” he affirmed, concluding with: “Ukraine is ready.”

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