He made this statement at a Security Council meeting on June 22.
"Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter," he noted.
"But our patience is not unlimited. If the UN Security Council continues to choose a wait-and-see attitude, Ukraine may reconsider its current proposals. A ceasefire along the actual front line is already a major compromise."
Addressing the Russian representative, Melnyk also stated that Russia will never be able to hold onto the occupied territories and urged Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine as soon as possible.
On June 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the misconception of certain international mediators who believe that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is allegedly ready to end the war against Ukraine, but needs to "save face" to do so.
In an interview with TSN, Zelenskyy emphasized that Putin does not want to stop the hostilities.
"He must be forced, and with strong measures from the U.S. — these are sanctions first and foremost. Number one. We very much hope that there will be sanctions, that there will be various forms of economic pressure," the president stressed.
On May 7, the Kremlin stated that it considered trilateral negotiations in the U.S.-Ukraine-Russia format inappropriate until Ukraine withdraws its troops from the part of Donbas it controls. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will never agree to this.
On June 4, Zelenskyy published an open letter to Putin, in which he called for an end to the war "in a format between you and us" and proposed a personal meeting. The Ukrainian president also declared his readiness to freeze the front line.
Putin rejected the meeting proposal.
On June 19, Zelenskyy stated that Putin fears the return of Russian soldiers home, which is why he does not want an end to the war in Ukraine.
"Putin does not want to stop, and all his talk about wanting peace is a lie," the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
He also named the Russian dictator's main goal. This, according to Zelenskyy, is the restoration of the Soviet Union.