Zelensky voiced readiness to meet Putin at trilateral summit

KIEV, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday voiced willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a trilateral summit with the United States, warning that the conflict could become protracted without such talks.

There will be a chance to meet within half a year if Putin is ready for a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the United States and Russia, he said in an interview with Sky News.

But he rejected the possibility of holding the talks in Moscow or Belarus.

In the interview, he noted a window of opportunity to reach peace with Russia between now and the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November.

"If it is possible to achieve peace, we will have this window; we have it now," he said.

Earlier this week, Zelensky announced that the next round of trilateral talks among the three sides is expected to take place in early March.

The latest round of trilateral talks concluded in Geneva on Feb. 18 with no breakthrough on key issues. ■