Zelensky Will Travel to Istanbul for Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Ukrain’s president Volodimir Zelensky. Photo: X/ @ZelenskyyUa
May 11, 2025 Hour: 2:12 pm
The Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelensky said through an X post that he is willing to meet on Thursday, May 15, with the Russian president Vladimir Putin in Istanbul, Turkiye, and said he waits for a previous ceasefire.
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“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s claims come after the Russian president proposed to resume without preconditions the direct negotiations between his country and Ukraine, on Thursday, May 15, to resume talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Putin stated that his country is committed to maintaining serious negotiations with Ukraine, focused on eliminating the root causes of the conflict and establishing a lasting and long-term peace. He did not rule out that these negotiations could result in a new ceasefire.
For his part, Turkiye’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and accepted the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
Erdogan expressed “a window of opportunity has been opened for reaching peace and that a comprehensive ceasefire will create the necessary environment for peace talks.”
In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukraine to “immediately” accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to meet on Thursday in Turkey, so that the two can determine if an agreement is possible.
“Ukraine should accept this IMMEDIATELY. At least they’ll be able to determine whether an agreement is possible or not, and if it isn’t, European and U.S. leaders will know where things stand and can act accordingly!” said Trump.
