The United States has set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He told reporters that he expects pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump if the June deadline is not met.
"The Americans propose to end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties exactly according to this schedule," Zelensky said yesterday, but the publication of the statement was under embargo until this morning.
"They say they want to finish everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. They want a clear timetable for all events," he added.
He stated that the US has proposed that the next round of trilateral talks be held next week in their country, probably in Miami.
"We have confirmed our participation," Zelensky said.
Reuters reported earlier today, citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, that US and Ukrainian negotiators had discussed an ambitious goal for Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace agreement by March, although that deadline is unlikely to be met due to disagreements over a key issue - territory.
According to the framework being discussed by American and Ukrainian negotiators, Ukrainians would vote on any eventual agreement in a referendum, and at the same time they would vote in parliamentary elections.
Russia is pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas, where fighting continues, but Kiev is refusing.
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