If Zelensky is willing to negotiate with Russia, the U.S. will support him, according to the State Department.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated this during a briefing.

He responded to a question about whether the administration of current President Joe Biden would support negotiations in light of newly elected President Donald Trump's claims that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.

Miller indicated that the longstanding policy of the Biden administration is that the decision to initiate negotiations rests with the Ukrainian president. This is not something that the US "or any other country should push him towards."

"If President Zelensky decides that he wants to start negotiations, of course, we will support that. […] And we will support him in any process to try to achieve a just and durable peace, but ultimately, that is his decision, not ours," the State Department representative said.

However, he believes that Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to make statements that do not indicate his willingness to cease the seizure of Ukrainian territory. In turn, he would propose negotiations where "he would get everything he wants, and Ukraine would get nothing." Therefore, according to him, Zelensky would not be interested in such negotiations.

What does Putin demand?

Statements from the Russian leader and his representatives have repeatedly portrayed Russia as ready for negotiations to resolve the war in Ukraine, claiming that these talks are not happening because Kyiv allegedly does not want them.

In reality, Putin demands that Kyiv abandon its NATO membership and recognize Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions, and Crimea as Russian territories on an international level.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that accepting the Russian leader's conditions would imply that Ukraine's territorial integrity is open for discussion. This precedent would give the Kremlin the opportunity to push for further territorial concessions from Ukraine and generally challenge the idea of Ukrainian statehood.

Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that Ukraine is ready for a negotiation process with Russia "at a certain stage," when Russia is prepared to engage in good faith. As of now, such willingness has not been observed from the Russian side, Kuleba noted.