KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he is prepared to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday, following President Donald Trump’s public call for Ukraine to accept the Kremlin leader’s proposal for direct negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Zelenskiy made the invitation via X on Sunday, offering to personally meet the Russian president in Türkiye, just hours after Trump urged him to agree “immediately” to talks in Istanbul. The proposal comes amid a renewed push by European leaders and Washington to secure a 30-day ceasefire beginning Monday.
“I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelenskiy wrote. “I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, added pointedly on Telegram: “What about Putin? Is he afraid? We’ll see.”
Zelenskiy’s direct challenge followed a dramatic weekend of diplomatic maneuvering. On Saturday, several European leaders gathered in Kyiv to demand an unconditional ceasefire from Russia. Hours later, Putin countered with a televised proposal to begin direct talks on May 15 in Istanbul—without committing to a truce.
Though Putin’s offer made headlines, it remained unclear whether the Russian president intended to attend in person. The two leaders have not met since 2019 and have expressed open disdain for one another in the years since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump, who has vowed to end the war if reelected and holds significant sway over U.S. military aid to Kyiv, broke from the European position and backed Putin’s call for immediate talks.
“President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY.”
He argued that even if a deal proves elusive, such a meeting would clarify where the parties stand and enable further action by the West.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have sought to engage with Trump, who is seen by the Kremlin as a potential path to easing sanctions, and by Ukraine as a critical gatekeeper of U.S. weapons and financial support.
Putin’s televised address on Saturday night, timed for maximum impact in the U.S. media cycle, proposed “direct negotiations without any preconditions.” Yet shortly after, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov indicated that Moscow would only proceed if talks accounted for the abandoned 2022 draft peace framework and the current battlefield realities—a demand Ukraine rejects as tantamount to surrender.
Under the 2022 draft, Ukraine would have been required to adopt neutrality and accept Russia’s occupation of large swaths of territory—conditions Kyiv now considers unacceptable.
Putin also dismissed Western demands for an unconditional ceasefire as “ultimatums,” and his foreign ministry reiterated that talks must begin with addressing the “root causes” of the war before any ceasefire can be implemented.
Despite Moscow’s resistance, Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s plan for a ceasefire remains in effect. “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” he said in his nightly address. He warned, however, that Ukrainian forces would respond if Russian troops ignored the truce.
The latest developments come amid growing international concern about a renewed Russian offensive. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warned on Friday of a “potentially significant” air assault by Russian forces in the days ahead, heightening fears of an escalation even as diplomatic channels are tested once again.
The Ukraine conflict, now well into its third year, has killed hundreds of thousands and triggered the most serious standoff between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Whether Zelenskiy’s bold offer to meet in Turkey results in genuine peace talks—or another round of hardened posturing—remains uncertain.
