Russians have welcomed the idea of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss ending the nearly three-and-a-half-year conflict.
The U.S. President, Donald Trump announced he would arrange face-to-face talks between the two leaders after meeting with Putin in Alaska and Zelensky in Washington.
Some Russians, like 39-year-old musician Roman, said that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky could lead to peace.
Roman said, “It would be good if such an event took place. I am sure that the conflict would end and everything would be fine.”
Vyacheslav, a 23-year-old civil servant, agreed that a meeting between the two leaders was long overdue.
He said, “It would have been better if the meeting had taken place earlier.”
However, not everyone is convinced. Ilya Denisov, a 19-year-old student, expressed skepticism, saying, “nothing will change.
”Ukraine should be divided. Leave Russia what it controls and go their separate ways.”
The conflict began in February 2022 when Russia launched an offensive against Ukraine, hoping to take Kyiv in days.
However, they pulled back after encountering stiff resistance.
Russia currently occupied a fifth of Ukraine, having annexed Crimea in 2014 and four Ukrainian regions in 2022.
The two leaders have had direct contact since the conflict began, and Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Russian.
Trump announced plans to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, with the location to be determined.
