Zelensky sets conditions for direct talks with Putin in Türkiye

The Ukrainian leader has said he would be “waiting” for the Russian president on Thursday but only if Moscow agrees to a truce first.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has stated he is ready to “personally” meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on Thursday but only if Moscow first agrees to a truce. His statement came in response to Russia’s proposal to begin peace talks without pre-conditions.

“I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X on Sunday. He still maintained that Kiev awaits “a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.” The Ukrainian leader also stated that he expected Moscow not to look for “excuses” this time.

On Saturday, the Russian president offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul, which it unilaterally walked away from in 2022. Moscow was ready to return to the negotiating table without any preconditions, the Russian leader said at the time.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it was ready for peace talks at any time. It also maintained that it was seeking a lasting solution to the conflict rather than a temporary one. It opposed Kiev’s 30-day truce demand on the grounds that Ukraine would use it to rearm and regroup its military.

Zelensky issued a similar demand on Saturday following a meeting with a group of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. They also supported Kiev’s demand that Russia agree to a truce.

US President Donald Trump also expressed his hope that Moscow and Kiev could soon agree to a month-long truce. He also warned that “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions” if an agreement is reached but not respected.

On Sunday, the American president said that Kiev should agree to Moscow’s peace talks proposal “immediately.” According to him, Moscow did not want a mere ceasefire but wanted “to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath.”

The Kremlin has rejected what it described as external pressure surrounding the proposed truce. Putin also noted that Kiev violated the three ceasefires proposed by Moscow: the 30-day US-brokered moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, which expired last month, the unconditional Easter ceasefire, and the recently lapsed 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire.

Erdogan accepts Putin’s request to host Russia-Ukraine talks

Ankara is ready to help Moscow and Kiev pick up the settlement process “where they left off” in 2022, the president has said.

Türkiye has accepted Russia’s request to mediate direct peace talks with Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The country previously hosted negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, which ultimately collapsed after Ukraine walked out.

In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan welcomed Putin’s recent statement suggesting that “talks between Russia and Ukraine would continue in Istanbul from where they left off,” adding that Ankara “was ready to host negotiations that would lead to a permanent solution.”

The Kremlin has confirmed the call, stating that the two leaders “discussed in detail the Russian president’s initiative to resume direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations.”

“The Turkish side will provide all possible assistance in organizing and conducting negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting peace.”

On the same day, Erdogan told French President Emmanuel Macron that “a historic turning point” to end the conflict had been reached, and that this opportunity should be seized.

This comes after Putin offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.” Kiev ultimately walked away from reaching a settlement in 2022 under pressure from London, and Vladimir Zelensky later issued a decree banning himself from any negotiations with Putin.

Zelensky and several of Kiev’s Western backers have been insisting that Russia agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire before direct talks. Putin noted that Kiev has not adhered to the three ceasefires offered by Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that while Moscow supports the idea of a ceasefire “in general,” “there are lots of questions” that remain unresolved. Moscow previously voiced concern that the halt in hostilities would allow Kiev to regroup its battered troops and has insisted that all Western arms shipments to Ukraine must be suspended for the duration of the ceasefire.

Türkiye hosted several rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the spring of 2022. Moscow later said the talks had yielded tangible progress, including a tentative draft agreement on Ukraine’s neutral status, security guarantees, and other core issues. However, Moscow accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the peace process, claiming that he advised Kiev not to accept the terms and to “keep fighting.”

While Johnson has denied the claim, David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the time, acknowledged that he had played an influential role in the process.