Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has shown readiness to take part in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, calling it a first step toward protecting Ukraine from future Russian aggression.

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that Russia is using ultimatums to avoid ending the war.

“The issue is not meetings. The issue is that they do not want to end the war."

Zelenskyy said that talks are underway “every day” at military, diplomatic and advisory levels to shape concrete security guarantees.

Zelenskyy added that Kyiv is ready for talks with Russia.