Ukraine is open to any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must be the first and foremost condition. This was stated by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak during his online participation in the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025. The session was moderated by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General from 2009 to 2014 and co-chair of the International Working Group on Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that it is impossible to negotiate while the Ukrainian people are under constant missile and drone attacks by Russia. That is why a ceasefire regime is a crucial and necessary prerequisite.
As of now, according to Andriy Yermak, Russia has not provided any response regarding Vladimir Putin’s participation in negotiations in Türkiye.
“We have confirmed that President Zelenskyy is ready and will be in Türkiye. Yesterday, President Trump made a very strong and clear statement that he expects both leaders to be present in Türkiye. He is also considering a visit there. I believe that if Vladimir Putin refuses to come to Türkiye, it will be the final signal that Russia does not want to end this war – that Russia is neither willing nor ready for any negotiations,” said the Head of the President’s Office.
Andriy Yermak stressed that if Russia refuses negotiations, there must be a strong response from the United States and the entire world: new sanctions against the Russian Federation and increased military assistance to Ukraine.
He also noted that work is ongoing to establish security guarantees for Ukraine. Concrete proposals have already been received from partner countries, including developments within the Coalition of the Willing.
“But the most serious and strongest guarantee is a powerful, well-prepared, and well-trained Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are working on this together with our partners. We also expect that the mineral resources agreement with the United States will become one of the elements of the future security guarantees system,” said Andriy Yermak.
