Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet for peace talks in Turkey. Speaking in Kyiv on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin face-to-face, even though he doubts the Russian president will show up.
The meeting would be their first since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Zelenskyy hopes the summit can lead to a ceasefire, with teams later working out the details of how to keep the peace.
Zelenskyy also spoke about former U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently said he might attend the meeting in Turkey. Zelenskyy said Trump needs to see that Putin is not telling the truth. He stressed that Ukraine is not delaying talks and is serious about ending the war.
He added that if Putin skips the meeting, it will show the world that Russia does not want peace. “If Putin doesn’t come, it will be a final dot,” Zelenskyy said. “It means Russia is not ready to stop the war.”
Zelenskyy also met with reporters to talk about the role of the U.S. in the peace effort. He said Trump seemed open to adding more sanctions on Russia and did not reject a new aid plan for Ukraine. The goal of the plan is to help Ukraine defend itself and pressure Russia to end the war.
He described the new U.S. sanctions, which are still in discussion, as “strong and very dangerous” for Russia. These may include limits on Russia’s energy and banking sectors.
Zelenskyy will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday. If Putin agrees to come, they will all fly to Istanbul for the summit.
Russia has said it is open to talks in Istanbul. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed this, but did not say if Putin would attend.
Zelenskyy ended by saying that only direct talks between leaders can bring real results. Lower-level meetings, like the one in Saudi Arabia in March, did not lead to any progress.
