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,

European and Ukrainian officials met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris on Thursday after weeks of being sidelined in US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine through direct talks with Moscow.