Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday (Feb 14) that he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face, but only after Kyiv and its allies have agreed on a joint plan to end the war.

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"I will meet with Russians—only one Russian, with Putin—but only after we have a common plan with Trump and Europe. Then we will sit with Putin and stop the war. Only in this case am I ready to meet," Zelensky said during a US-Ukraine security cooperation town hall at the Munich Security Conference.

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'A good conversation with President Trump'

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When asked about a recent call between former US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Zelensky disclosed details of his discussions with Trump. "I had a good conversation with President Trump. We had some phone calls, and he also spoke with Putin. Trump told me he thinks Putin wants to resolve the war. I told him that he is a liar."

Zelensky also shared that Trump had given him his personal phone number during their conversation earlier this week. "Yes, he gave me his telephone number," he said at the Munich event. Zelensky said Trump had told him, "You can call anytime."

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Zelensky on NATO

Discussing Ukraine’s prospects of joining NATO, Zelensky said, "To be very honest, the United States never really saw us in NATO. They just spoke about it, but they never actually wanted us in."

He further warned that Ukraine would need to expand its military if NATO membership does not materialise. "If we don’t have NATO, real NATO, we will create NATO in Ukraine," he said.

Later today, Zelensky is scheduled to meet US Vice-President JD Vance in Munich.

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The Ukrainian leader stressed that the ongoing war has strengthened ties between Europe and the United States. He expressed pride in Ukraine being part of "such a strong Europe."

"What is very important is not to make any decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. This is a principle position we will never accept," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)