Zelenskyy on Putin: If he does not come, it will look like a complete defeat for him

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that if he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he will talk about a complete ceasefire and the exchange of all prisoners.

He said this in an interview with the French newspaper Liberation.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that such a meeting should have a political result — in particular, a peace agreement or an agreement on the full exchange of prisoners.

The President noted that Ukrainians do not trust Russians, and vice versa. Therefore, he said, external mediation is needed, which is trusted by both sides.

He considers the United States a possible guarantor of the implementation of the agreements and suggests that the presence of US President Donald Trump could force Putin to appear at the talks. Otherwise, according to Zelenskyy, it will look like a defeat for the Russian leader.

«If Putin does not come, it will look like a complete defeat for him,» he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for new tough sanctions against Russia by the United States and the European Union.

As for the duration of the war, he said: «No one knows how long it will last. But not for ten years. Ukraine will not survive... It is expensive for everyone — not only for friends, but also for enemies».

As a reminder, on 11 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his desire to resume direct talks with Ukraine, which were suspended at the end of 2022. He also said that he planned to address Turkish President Recep Erdogan with a proposal to organise the talks.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct talks, calling it a «good sign». However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that a ceasefire was needed first to really start a dialogue with Russia.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to hold talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on 15 May.

Subsequently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that he was looking forward to direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey.

At the same time, Russian President's spokesman Dmitrii Peskov said he could not yet name the names of Russian representatives who would take part in peace talks with Ukraine.

The media reported that US President Donald Trump would send special representatives Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg to the talks in Turkey.