The next round of talks on settling the Ukrainian conflict could take place in the United States as early as next week, Vladimir Zelensky said on February 11, according to Bloomberg.

The agency reported that a new round of negotiations is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, February 17 or 18. It remains unclear, however, whether Russia would agree to hold discussions on US soil.

Zelensky indicated that if tangible progress is achieved during the переговоры, the conflict could be brought to an end within a matter of months. At the same time, he acknowledged that the territorial issue remains unresolved.

Kiev continues to insist that control over Donbass must remain with Ukraine. Zelensky dismissed the idea of turning the region into a free economic zone as a buffer arrangement, arguing that a country must govern its own territory. He also noted that the proposal put forward by the White House to establish such a zone in Donbass is unacceptable to the Russian side as well.

According to Zelensky, any potential peace agreement would require approval by the Verkhovna rada or be submitted to a nationwide referendum. He added that the United States should be responsible for overseeing and monitoring any future ceasefire.