Zelensky wants to talk to Biden about U.S. involvement in settlement in eastern Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he wants the United States to join the peaceful settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, either in the Normandy format or another format.

He stated this at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin late on Monday, July 12, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I would really like the United States to help us resolve the issue of a peaceful settlement in the Donbas and the de-occupation of our territories. It will be done in the Normandy format if the participants in the Normandy format are in favor [of this format]. Ukraine definitely supports such a format. Or it will be done in another format - this is a matter of negotiations," Zelensky said.

He added that he would raise this issue at his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Zelensky was on a working visit to Germany on July 11-12.

On June 7, Zelensky and Biden held telephone talks during which the U.S. president invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit the White House. On June 11, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed that a meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States in Washington would take place in late July.

op