Ukraine is open to US-backed aerial cease-fire with Russia

Ukraine is open to a US-backed aerial cease-fire with Russia, an advisor to President Zelensky has said — as Presidents Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin prepare to meet for high-stakes talks in Alaska.

“Ukraine is ready to discuss it, is ready to consider this scenario, and sees it as the initial stage for reaching realistic negotiating positions,” Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published on Tuesday.

However, Podolyak said Putin is unlikely to cooperate.

“Russia is unlikely to forgo the use of strategic aviation and the massive deployment of drones,” he warned. “Aerial bombardments are a key tool with which Moscow exerts psychological pressure on the country and influences our position.”

He also cast doubt on hopes for Friday’s summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska, where the pair will discuss the bloody three-year conflict.

“Putin is not ready for realistic negotiations. His main task at this stage is to stall and mislead the US administration,” Podlyak warned.