Zelensky, Ahead of US Talks, Says Ukraine Wants Peace

Trump's Advisers Are Already Sketching Out How They Might Ease the Sanctions Imposed on Russia, Including a Cap Imposed on Prices for Its Oil Sales

- Agencies

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday ahead of talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia that Ukraine wants peace and Russia is the "only reason" that the war has dragged on.

Zelensky was due to arrive in Saudi Arabia later on Monday, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia.

"Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia," Zelensky wrote on social media.

The highly-anticipated negotiations on Tuesday on resolving the more than three-year conflict will see US and Ukrainian officials meet for the first time since Zelensky's disastrous White House visit last month.

US President Donald Trump since taking office has repeated a string of false claims about Zelensky and the war that echo key Kremlin talking points.