He made the statement on the eve of a new meeting between the US, Ukraine and European countries in London, the aim of which is to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, after more than three years of devastating war.
“After the ceasefire, we are ready to sit down (for negotiations) in any format“, Zelensky said at a press conference in Kiev.
Yesterday, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin admitted the possibility of direct negotiations with Ukraine to discuss a limited ceasefire against civilian infrastructure.
The last direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives were in the spring of 2022, shortly after the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, but ended without success, AFP recalls.
Washington is currently holding separate talks with Kiev and Moscow.
Putin's diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov said earlier today that White House special envoy Steve Witkoff would visit the Russian capital this week. This evening, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt confirmed his trip to Moscow.
"We hope we are going in the right direction," Levitt noted.
This will be Witkoff's fourth visit to Moscow since mid-February, when Russian-American relations were restored.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the new round of peace talks in London on Wednesday, his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce announced, after earlier saying that he was scheduled to travel to the British capital. Instead, White House special envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg will travel to Britain.
It is not yet known whether Rubio's absence from the meeting is due to Trump lowering Washington's expectations of it, after the US president said on Saturday that he hoped Kiev and Moscow would reach an agreement this week, Reuters noted.
The Ukrainian president stressed today that Kiev had not held talks with the US about new military aid and was only receiving aid from Washington that was agreed with former President Joe Biden.
“We have not yet had the opportunity to reach an agreement with the US on new aid or to discuss details,“ Zelensky said, adding that Kiev had not yet received a response to his offer to buy ten Patriot air defense systems.
Zelensky added that he wanted to meet with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican, where the two heads of state will be on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis. Tonight the White House confirmed that the Republican is leaving for Rome on Friday.
"Yes, I would like to, I am ready. We are always ready to meet with our American partners", said the Ukrainian president.
Kiev's relations with the new administration in the White House are tense, and his last meeting with Trump in February was marked by verbal attacks, AFP recalled.
Chinese citizens are working in drone factories in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Kiev, quoted by Reuters.
He suggested that Moscow may have "stole" drone technology from China.
A few days ago, Zelensky said that Beijing was supplying Russia with weapons and gunpowder - the first time he has directly accused China of providing direct military aid to Moscow - something that Chinese authorities deny.
By suggesting that Russia may have acquired Chinese drone technology without Beijing even suspecting it, Zelensky appeared to soften his tone towards China, which claims to maintain neutrality in the war, Reuters noted.
The wave of Ukrainian accusations against China - the world's second-largest economy - in recent days has been unexpectedly sweltering given the current sensitive moment for Kiev in the US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.
Earlier this month, Zelensky said that Russia is recruiting Chinese citizens through social media to fight on its side, and Beijing knows about it. He added that Kiev is trying to assess whether the mercenaries are receiving instructions from China.
Beijing reaffirmed its support for efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine and said that parties should avoid "irresponsible remarks" in a clear comment against the Ukrainian president's words about Chinese citizens fighting on the side of Russia.
Today, Zelensky told journalists that he had instructed his officials to send information to the Chinese authorities through official channels about Kiev's revelations.
"Separately, I asked the Security Service of Ukraine to provide the Chinese side with more general information about Chinese citizens working at the drone factory," he added.
"We believe that it may turn out that Russia concluded an agreement with these citizens outside the agreements with the Chinese leadership and stole these technologies," Zelensky said.
So far, neither Russia nor China have commented on Zelensky's accusations.
Beijing and Moscow have announced a strategic partnership "without borders" days before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters recalls.