Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is ready to hold in-person talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday to discuss ending the war. He made this statement after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to accept a proposal for direct talks with Russia in Turkey.
“There’s no point in losing more lives. I will personally wait for Putin in Turkey on Thursday,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Zelensky had previously stated that Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia, but the primary condition for such negotiations is the implementation of a ceasefire first. After Putin proposed direct talks, Trump posted on social media Sunday, saying, “Ukraine must immediately accept this proposal so that it becomes clear whether a peace agreement is possible.”
He added, “At the very least, we will know whether an agreement can be reached or not. If not, the U.S. and European countries will know what to do next. Start the talks now.”
On Saturday night, Russian President Putin invited Ukraine for “serious talks.” The Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022 after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine.
Putin’s proposal involves direct talks with Ukraine
“We want serious negotiations… to address the root causes of this conflict and move toward lasting and strong peace,” Putin said in a rare televised address from the Kremlin on Saturday night.
Just hours before his address, European leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron had arrived in Ukraine, calling on Russia to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would “need to consider” the proposal but warned that “creating pressure is pointless.”
In his address, Putin also proposed holding the talks in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. He suggested that the negotiations could lead to a “new ceasefire” agreement between Russia and Ukraine. He added that he would discuss this with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday.
