Zelensky confirms his trip to Turkey and calls on Putin to meet with him for direct peace negotiations

Zelensky, who has confirmed his trip to Ankara, has urged Putin to meet with him in Istanbul for ceasefire negotiations and peace discussions.

A significant diplomatic turning point in the nearly three-year-old conflict may occur on Thursday when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announces intentions to visit Turkey’s capital, Ankara, for direct peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a hurriedly planned press conference on Tuesday, Zelensky asked for a 30-day truce, which he said had the support of Ukraine’s allies, and stated that he was prepared to see Putin in person in Istanbul.

Zelensky assured reporters that “everything will be done to ensure that this meeting takes place.” “The world is watching as we try to save lives.”

If Putin will attend the negotiations, Russia has not yet confirmed. More details would be made public “when President Putin deems it necessary,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Tuesday, only stating that “Russia continues preparations for the negotiations due on Thursday.”

If the two leaders meet, it will be their first encounter since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and their first encounter in more than five years. Early in the war, the final direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow also took place in Istanbul.

Zelensky hinted that Putin might have been using his last-minute offer of talks in Turkey as a ploy to get Ukraine to make a mistake. The Ukrainian leader stated, “He wanted us to either ignore it or respond in a way that would harm our position.”

However, he made it apparent that Ukraine’s goals are still to establish a short-term truce. A ceasefire for 30 days is our first priority. “Our allies agree that that’s what Ukraine wants,” Zelensky underlined.
During the weekend, the leaders of Ukraine’s main Western allies, including the UK, Germany, France, and Poland, traveled to Kyiv as a symbolic gesture of support. Their combined message was to either accept the truce or risk more penalties. The European Union is now working on its seventeenth set of sanctions against Russia.

Senior U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg are anticipated to travel to Istanbul in the meanwhile, however former President Donald Trump, who is presently in the Gulf, has not ruled out coming in person. Trump declared, “I’ll go if I think things can happen,” though it’s still unclear if he will really do so.

The Ukrainian government is working hard to ensure a face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin, but the Kremlin is giving conflicting signals. Moscow is prepared to engage in “responsible” negotiations, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, but he questioned Kyiv’s ability to keep any agreement.

Although she expressed doubts about Moscow’s intentions, EU foreign policy leader Kaja Kallas endorsed the concept of negotiations. “Putin, I don’t think he dares,” she replied.

Putin’s refusal to visit Istanbul, according to Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, “would be the final signal he does not want to end the war.”

The Russian leader’s willingness to engage in a debate that could change the course of the area is crucial as the pressure mounts and Thursday approaches.