Zelenskyy set to fly to Turkey for Ukraine peace talks that Russia has skipped

President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy said that he intends to head to Turkey on Wednesday in an effort to restart negotiations with Russia and seek to revive the United States’ involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion.  However, the Kremlin said no Russian representatives will attend the talks in Turkey, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noting that ongoing communications are taking place without Russia’s participation.

Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will also be absent from the meetings. Nevertheless, Moscow has signalled its willingness to continue dialogue with the US and Turkey regarding the conclusions of the discussions.

Speaking during a visit to Spain on Tuesday, Zelenskiyy said Ukraine had drawn up new solutions that would be presented to its partners. He further added that he hopes to revive stalled peace negotiations, which have made little progress after multiple rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this year failed to produce a breakthrough. Moscow has refused to agree to a ceasefire and has instead continued advancing along the front while intensifying strikes on Ukrainian cities.

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“We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners. Doing everything possible to bring the end of the war closer is Ukraine’s top priority,” he said.

No face-to-face talks between Kyiv and Moscow have taken place since their meeting in Istanbul in July.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Turkish source said US special envoy Steve Witkoff would also travel to Turkey on Wednesday and take part in planned discussions with Zelenskyy. However, a separate source in Turkey’s foreign ministry said President Tayyip Erdogan would meet only with Zelenskiyy in Ankara and not with Witkoff, reported Reuters.

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Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate, said in a post on X that Erdogan and Zelenskyy would discuss efforts to establish a ceasefire and work towards a lasting solution to the conflict during their talks in Ankara.

Past talks produced prisoner exchanges but no breakthrough

Ukraine and Russia have held several rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, leading to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the return of the remains of fallen soldiers. Despite this, both sides have failed to make progress towards a ceasefire or a wider settlement to end a conflict that is now approaching its fourth year.

Zelenskyy said he also planned to discuss how to achieve what he called a “just peace” for Ukraine when he meets Erdogan on Wednesday.

Secret negotiations emerge amid a new US pressure campaign on Russia

Trump sought to use his personal rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the war in Ukraine but has yet to achieve any concrete progress.

In a sign of mounting frustration with Putin, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies.

“The Americans are now discussing a new wave of pressure, so it is logical to negotiate about diplomacy,” the Ukrainian official noted.

The Trump administration has been secretly consulting with Russia to develop a new plan to end the war in  Ukraine, according to  US and Russian officials speaking to Axios. A 28-point proposal has been laid down, drawing inspiration from President Trump’s push for an agreement in Gaza. A senior Russian official told the outlet that he is optimistic about the initiative, though it is not yet clear how Ukraine or its European partners will respond.