In a statement published on his social media accounts, Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s willingness to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying such a dialogue could be key to achieving a lasting and dignified peace.“We have heard the statements coming out of Russia. If these are signals of a genuine willingness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace – and not merely an attempt to buy more time for war or delay sanctions – then Ukraine once again reaffirms its readiness to meet at the level of leaders at any time,” Zelenskyy wrote.The Ukrainian leader thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and his team for efforts to facilitate peace and stressed the importance of global support in protecting Ukrainian lives.Zelenskyy emphasized that only a meeting between the two leaders can yield real decisions. “We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too. Ukraine calls for moving beyond the exchange of statements and technical-level meetings to talks between leaders. The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness.”Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday reiterated that Moscow’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remain unchanged, signaling no shift in position ahead of an upcoming deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for a negotiated ceasefire.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cast doubt on the likelihood of a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting taking place before the end of August, signaling continued uncertainty about Russia’s willingness to engage at the highest level.