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Zelensky says he is ready for talks with Russia and compliance with Minsk agreements

The Ukrainian leader also said he wanted to give a new impetus to Ukraine’s relations with the NATO, citing Russia’s "aggression" as a challenge

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

© Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

BRUSSELS, June 4./TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Tuesday that he was ready for talks with Russia and compliance with the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the conflict in Donbass.

"We are ready to hold negotiations with Russia, ready to implement the Minsk agreements, but first we must be able to protect ourselves and get stronger economically, politically and militarily," Zelensky told a joint briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The Ukrainian leader also said he wanted to give a new impetus to Ukraine’s relations with the Alliance, citing Russia’s "aggression" as a challenge. "We hope to restore the Ukraine-NATO dialogue at the level of the heads of state and government and the defense ministers," he noted.

However, he admitted that first of all Ukraine needed to carry out reforms to bring the country into compliance with NATO standards.

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Ukraine Belgium Anatoly Antonov Vladimir Zelensky

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