Zelensky agrees to meet Putin in Istanbul, demands ceasefire first
3 Min Read
Zelensky agrees to peace talks with Putin in Turkey after Trump pressure, urging a full ceasefire by Monday to lay the groundwork for ending the war
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a briefing in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 25, 2025 (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Istanbul this Thursday, following strong public pressure from US President Donald Trump to accept the proposal without delay.
In a statement posted on X, Zelensky confirmed his willingness to attend the summit, while he also stressed that Ukraine expects a full halt to hostilities to begin ahead of the talks. "And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday," he wrote.
Zelensky added that a complete ceasefire should come into effect on Monday, framing it as the necessary groundwork for any meaningful diplomatic engagement. "Ukraine expected a full ceasefire to start on Monday in order to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy to end the war," he stated.
The comments come shortly after Trump took to Truth Social to urge Ukraine to accept Putin's invitation to direct talks in Istanbul, calling on Zelensky to agree "IMMEDIATELY" in order to stop the war.
Putin had made his proposal public in a rare late-night Kremlin address on Saturday, offering to resume talks without preconditions. He criticized Western-backed ceasefire initiatives as opportunities for Ukraine to rearm and prolong the conflict. "This would be the first step towards a long-term, lasting peace, rather than a prologue to more armed hostilities after the Ukrainian armed forces get new armaments and personnel… Who needs peace like that?" Putin said.
The Turkish government has confirmed its readiness to host the negotiations and has been actively engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to facilitate the summit. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly spoken with multiple Western leaders to safeguard the process from disruption, calling the opportunity for dialogue "a window for peace."
Read more: US envoy to deliver 22-point Ukraine peace plan to Putin
Meanwhile, Ukraine and a coalition of its allies have proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire beginning Monday, May 12, contingent on Russian agreement and international monitoring. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by reiterating Moscow's condition that any ceasefire must include a halt to Western weapons shipments to Kiev.
The proposed meeting in Istanbul would mark the first direct engagement between Zelensky and Putin since the early weeks of the war in 2022.
