Zelenskyy says he's ready to meet Putin this week
What's the story
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in Istanbul on Thursday. His announcement comes after United States President Donald Trump asked him to accept an immediate proposal for talks with Russia. In a recent post on the social media platform X, Zelenskyy said a "full and unconditional ceasefire, one that lasts long enough to provide a necessary foundation for diplomacy, could significantly bring peace closer."
Ceasefire expectation
Ukraine anticipates ceasefire to facilitate peace talks
"We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy," he wrote, adding, "There is no point in prolonging the killings." "And I will be waiting for Putin in Turkiye on Thursday." Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders have not communicated directly, and there have been no publicly recognized conversations between Moscow and Kyiv since March 2022, shortly after the war began.
Trump's take
Donald Trump sceptical
Hours after Zelenskyy's announcement, Trump said on Sunday that he was "starting to doubt" that Ukraine would reach a ceasefire deal with Russia. "I'm starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "President Putin of Russia doesn't want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH," he added.
Background
How the meeting was set up
Putin's proposal to meet in Turkey may have followed warnings from Ukraine's key European allies, who threatened Russia with new sanctions if it did not agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In a late-night address, Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey this Thursday without acknowledging the ultimatum. This is the first time that Putin has made such an offer since the invasion.