The Japan Times - Zelensky says allies should work on 'format' for any talks with Russia

His comments are the latest to pile on speculation over the possibility of negotiations to end the brutal conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives after almost three years of fighting.

"I understand that contacts can be in different formats," Zelensky said, referring to possible negotiations that would lead to "a just peace".

"I think we should focus on this today," he said.

President Vladimir Putin earlier this week said he was ready for talks with US counterpart Donald Trump on Ukraine, praising him as a "smart" leader who might have prevented the conflict from starting in February 2022.

Putin did not say when talks could take place, and the Kremlin said earlier it was still waiting for "signals" from Washington, despite Trump announcing Thursday he was willing to meet Putin "immediately".

Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday, has called the conflict "ridiculous" and threatened Russia with tougher economic sanctions if it does not agree to stop its offensive.

Zelensky said in Kyiv that talks to end the war should be held between the United States, Ukraine and Russia, as well as the European Union, saying peace could only be achieved with robust security guarantees for his country.

- No 'common plan' -

"I can't say today what kind of negotiations will take place or what the structure of the negotiation process will be because we don't have a common plan yet," Zelensky added.

He reiterated a common talking point among Ukrainian officials that any negotiations that excluded Kyiv would not ultimately guarantee any lasting peace.

"It is impossible to exclude Ukraine from any negotiation platform, or this negotiation platform will not have real results, but will have political results," he said.

"And such results will have nothing to do with security and the end of the war," he said.

Zelensky has put forward several proposals to end the conflict, including his so-called victory plan at a Ukraine summit last year that brought together dozens of countries and international organisations.

The reinvigorated rhetoric around possible talks comes at a critical moment for Ukraine on the battlefield.

Its unmanned army has been ceding ground to a better-resourced Russian force for months, and Moscow's troops are now on the doorstep of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since they invaded in 2022.

Neither side has shown signs of de-escalating since the inauguration of Trump, despite his claim that he could end the conflict in one day once in power.

While advancing across the sprawling front in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russia has also stepped up its drone and missile attacks targeting Kyiv's energy and military infrastructure.

The Ukrainian air force said Saturday that it had shot down two missiles and 45 Russian drones overnight.

Emergency services in the central Cherkasy region said that the Russian aerial barrage targeted "critical infrastructure", sparked a large blaze and spurred power cuts.

The Ukrainian presidency meanwhile said a multiple-storey residential building was hit near Kyiv in the second night in a row of Russian attacks.

Russian occupation authorities in southern Ukraine said Saturday that a Ukrainian strike on a village in the Kherson region had killed three people.

K.Inoue--JT