ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said the US is proposing that Moscow and Kyiv end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war “by the beginning of this summer.”

“The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer, and will probably put pressure on the parties according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said in remarks to journalists published by Ukrainian media outlets, including state news agency Ukrinform.

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian side understands that "internal issues" in the US have an impact on this timeframe and that he believes the deadline is due to the start of the election campaign for the midterm elections in the US later this year.

The US has proposed to host a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams for the first time, he said, adding that this meeting will take place “probably in Miami, in a week.”

He further said the US suggested that both Russia and Ukraine once again support President Donald Trump's initiative to halt energy strikes, adding that Kyiv has confirmed its support but Moscow has yet to do so.

The Ukrainian president’s remarks follow two-day negotiations between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 4-5, after which Russia and Ukraine held their first prisoner exchange in five months.

Prior to these negotiations earlier this week, an initial round of trilateral talks took place on Jan. 23-24, also in the UAE capital.