BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he had told European partners that his country needed a decision this year on a plan to use Russian assets to plug Ukraine's budget gap.
"Our partners have been informed that the decision must be made by the end of this year," Zelensky told journalists at an EU summit where leaders gathered to try to agree on the plan, which has faced opposition from countries including Belgium.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky said that Ukrainian and US delegations would hold new talks on Friday and Saturday in the United States aiming to end the Russian invasion.
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a quick deal to end the fighting, and negotiating teams have proposed draft plans to end the war.
"On Friday and Saturday, our team will be in the United States of America; they are already on their way... and the Americans are waiting for them," Zelensky told reporters.
Trump said a deal was closer than ever after Zelensky, US and European officials agreed on a 20-point plan last week.
But Russia has yet to react to the latest proposal and Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeated that Moscow intends to pursue its maximalist military aims in Ukraine.
"We all know Russia's position. They want to seize the whole of Donbas," Zelensky said, referring to two eastern regions of Ukraine that Putin claimed to have annexed in 2022.
Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine is not prepared to give up territory that Russian forces have been unable to capture.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Moscow would "certainly" achieve its goals in Ukraine.
A senior Ukrainian diplomat announced on Thursday he had arrived in Beijing, a close ally of Russia, where he was expected to hold talks with Chinese officials.
The visit represents a rare meeting between officials from Kyiv and Beijing, which has been accused of aiding Moscow to prolong its war against Ukraine.
"Busy day ahead in Beijing," Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya wrote on social media.
Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Kyslytsya would hold consultations with Chinese diplomats, without giving details. — AFP
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