Zelenskyy says he is ready for direct talks with Putin and calls for no more prolongation of the war

Meeting on diplomatic work to end the war, photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is not afraid of direct talks with Russia and is ready for a meeting at the level of leaders to resolve key issues. He stressed that Russia should not prolong the war.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this after a meeting with the diplomatic and defence team on a peaceful settlement. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov reported on the talks in Turkey, where the Ukrainian delegation rejected any threats from Russia and insisted on a complete ceasefire.

One of the main outcomes of the talks was a preliminary agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, with details being discussed.

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Ukraine proposed a 30-day ceasefire with the possibility of extension. This initiative has been agreed with international partners.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also instructed to establish a permanent national negotiation group to coordinate peace efforts.

Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey

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. He later stressed that he was looking forward to direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey.

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

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he had no information on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend the talks. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of his own participation in the event.

Late in the evening of 14 May, the Kremlin approved the official list of Russian representatives to participate in peace talks with Ukraine, but Russian President Vladimir Putin was not among the delegates.

On the day of the talks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian delegation had arrived in Ankara in full force and was ready for real solutions to achieve a just peace. The composition of the Russian delegation, however, is still unknown and, according to the head of state, resembles «a sham».

After the talks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the negotiation process with Russia, saying that Ukraine was ready to take all steps to end the war and urged Vladimir Putin to give the Russian delegation decision-making powers.

Later, it became known that Ukraine and Russia discussed a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners of war in the format of «thousand for thousand» during the talks in Istanbul. However, the Ukrainian and Russian sides agreed to meet again.