KIEV, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday posted a video message on his Facebook page, suggesting a meeting with his Russian counterpart to talk about a de-escalation of the conflict between the two countries in eastern Ukraine.
"I want to address Russian President Vladimir Putin. Should we talk? Yes, we should," Zelensky said.
"I propose the following list of participants: myself, you, U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron," Zelensky said.
"What about the place of the meeting? I think Alexander Lukashenko (president of Belarus) will gladly welcome you and me in Minsk," Zelensky added.
The president also said that Ukraine will proceed with all the diplomatic formats to resolve the situation in eastern Ukraine.
In response, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is not ready to comment on Zelensky's suggestion.
"This is a completely new format. First of all, we need to understand whether such a meeting has prospects; and secondly, we need to understand what kind of new format is being proposed. The fact is that the United States is not a participant in the Normandy process," Peskov said about the Ukrainian president's proposal.
