 "Zelensky says 'ready to meet Putin' in Turkey after Russia ignores ceasefire demand")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday for peace talks.
This comes after US President Donald Trump, in a post on X, publicly urged him to accept Putin’s offer for direct talks.
“There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelensky said in a social media post.
Zelensky’s offer followed a tense 48 hours, during which European leaders backed his call for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. However, Putin responded with a counter-offer, proposing direct Ukraine-Russia talks, the first since the early months of the 2022 invasion.
It remains unclear whether Putin plans to attend the meeting in person. The two leaders have not met since December 2019 and openly show their dislike for each other.
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said in a post on X: “What about Putin? Is he afraid? We’ll see.”
Zelenskyy’s cautious response to Putin on meet
Zelensky gave a cautious response on Sunday after the Russian president, in a televised statement timed for US prime time, proposed direct talks in Istanbul next Thursday (1 May).
Putin’s suggestion came just hours after major European powers, during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, demanded he accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face heavy new sanctions, a demand also backed by Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.
Trump calls for talks to begin
Ukrainian leader Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for talks if Moscow agreed to the ceasefire. However, Trump, who controls the vital US arms supply to Ukraine, took a different stance.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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