Ahead of his address to world leaders at a global climate summit on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is willing to consider “genuine” negotiations with Russia.

Zelenskyy said his country is open to talks with Moscow if Ukraine’s borders are restored, victims of Russia’s invasion and attacks are compensated and efforts are made to hold perpetrators accountable.

The president’s comments follow a Washington Post report that said that the United States wanted Ukraine to show willingness for peace talks. That willingness, according to the report, would strengthen international support for Kyiv.

When asked about Zelenskyy’s willingness to negotiate with Russia, a senior U.S. official told reporters during a background call, “What’s important to understand here is that any decision to negotiate on the part of Ukraine – or the decision not to – is going to be determined by Ukrainian leadership. Not by what the U.S. says or does.”

The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said the “main condition” for such consideration would be the “restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”

Danilov added that there needs to be some sort of “guarantee” of modern air defenses, aircraft, tanks and long-range missiles, expressing a call for continued international assistance.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated “steadfast” U.S. support for Ukraine during talks with the Ukrainian president and other senior officials in Kyiv on Tuesday.

“Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and President Zelenskyy discussed international efforts to minimize the impact of Russia’s aggression on global food security, including through sustaining and expanding the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, and to ensure accountability for war crimes and atrocities perpetrated on the Ukrainian people,” said U.S. Mission to the United Nations Spokesperson Nate Evans in a statement.

Ammunition, nuclear weapons

North Korea denied U.S. claims Tuesday that it is assisting Russia with artillery shells and ammunitions in furthering the war on Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence recently confirmed that Russia has reached out to North Korea for rockets and artillery shells.

The isolated country has been conducting dozens of tests, including nuclear capable missiles with the ability to strike the United States. North Korea has threatened the U.S. with its missiles and artillery, claiming it could “mercilessly” strike neighboring South Korean and U.S. targets.

A Russian newspaper claimed Tuesday that a discussion on strategic nuclear weapons between U.S. and Russia are in the works. The Kommersant newspaper quoted four sources familiar with the discussions and said the talks may take place in the Middle East.

New START treaty talks between the U.S. and Russia aimed at reducing nuclear arsenals have been stalled since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Ukraine’s defense

Ukraine received its first delivery of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and Aspide air defense systems Monday in its fight against Russian forces.

“We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets attacking us. Thank you to our partners: Norway, Spain and the US,” Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Russia has started constructing defensive structures around the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. “Two plants are producing concrete pyramidal anti-tank structures, known as dragon’s teeth, for this purpose,” Britain said in an update posted on Twitter.

“Russia is fortifying its lines throughout areas of occupation. On 19 October 2022, Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed the construction of a fortified ‘Wagner Line’ of defences in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast,” the statement read, adding, “this activity suggests Russia is making a significant effort to prepare defences in depth behind their current front line, likely to forestall any rapid Ukrainian advances in the event of breakthroughs.”

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last month the United States was accelerating the shipment of the sophisticated NASAMS to Ukraine after significant Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this report.