Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of being “scared” to meet him for talks in Turkey this week to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has warned that he will only attend the high-stakes talks if Mr Putin also attends, because only a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president can deliver peace.
This is due to the fact that “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin, said Mr Zelensky, adding: “If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war.”
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he would first meet Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would head to Istanbul if Mr Putin arrived there.
The fresh ultimatum comes after US president Donald Trump suggested he could join Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet.
But the Kremlin has declined to comment on whether Mr Putin will travel to Turkey, saying only that “the Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations”.
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Key Points
- Volodymyr Zelensky says Vladimir Putin ‘scared’ to meet him
- Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official
- Donald Trump suggests he could join Putin and Zelensky in Turkey
- Fighting continues on frontline despite proposed ceasefire, says Ukrainian military
- How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky’s Putin challenge
Trump envoy claims peace can be struck ‘pretty fast’ if Putin attends Turkey talks
16:47
,
Andy Gregory
Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg has suggested that Thursday’s meeting in Istanbul could be “absolutely incredible” – if Vladimir Putin shows up.
“We're hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there,” Mr Kellogg, a retired US Army general who is also reportedly due to travel to Turkey on Thursday, told Fox Business Network in an interview.
“This could be an absolutely incredible meeting,” he said. “We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”
Mr Trump had said on Monday he would fly to Istanbul for the meeting if necessary. He is in the Middle East region this week for meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Russia expects direct contact with Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, minister says
16:30
,
Andy Gregory
Russia expects direct contact between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations during talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.
His claims, reported by Russian state news agency Tass, come after he was reported to have claimed that Moscow is ready for serious talks on Ukraine but doubts Kyiv is ready for negotiation.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will attend the talks in Istanbul if Vladimir Putin is also present – but the Kremlin has so far declined to comment when asked whether the Russian president will attend.
Ukraine calls on Brazil to help persuade Putin to attend Turkey talks
16:13
,
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has urged Brazil to help persuade Vladimir Putin to attend this week’s talks in Istanbul and to support Kyiv’s push for a 30-day ceasefire.
In a call with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, Mr Sybiha said he had “reaffirmed President Zelensky’s readiness to meet with Putin in Turkiye and called on Brazil to use its authoritative voice in its dialogue with Russia to make this direct highest-level meeting happen”.
Ceasefire must precede peace negotiations warns Ukraine
15:59
,
Andy Gregory
Ukraine has repeated its insistence that a ceasefire should come before peace talks can begin in earnest, as Volodymyr Zelensky challenges Vladimir Putin to meet him face-to-face in Turkey this week.
“Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first,” Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Tuesday.
Negotiations are impossible while “the Ukrainian people are under attack by Russian missiles and drones around the clock”, Mr Yermak said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025.
European Council chief says Serbia's leader has vowed to stay on EU path despite Russia trip
15:47
,
Andy Gregory
European Council president António Costa has criticised Serbia’s populist president Aleksandar Vucic’s trip to Russia’s Victory Day ceremonies last week – but said that he received assurances that the Balkan nation nonetheless will remain on the path toward EU accession.
Mr Costa said in Belgrade – at the start of his tour of six Western Balkan membership hopefuls – that “a lot of people asked me not to come” to Serbia. But he said that he decided to come, and that he wanted to “clarify” Mr Vucic's visit to Moscow last week.
Mr Vucic “explained to me it was a moment to celebrate an event from the past”, he said.
“We cannot rewrite the history, and fully understand that Serbia celebrates liberation” by Soviet troops, Mr Costa said, before referring to the Russia-Ukraine war. “But we cannot celebrate the liberation 80 years ago and don’t condemn an invasion of another country today.”
Now, Mr Costa said, “we can reaffirm, and it’s important to hear from him (Vucic) to publicly reaffirm, that he is fully committed with the European Union and with the accession path.”
Ivana Bzganovic reports:
European Council president says Serbia's leader has vowed to stay on the EU path despite Russia trip
Trump envoys to travel to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks, sources say
15:17
,
Andy Gregory
Donald Trump’s senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul for potential talks on Thursday on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the plans have told Reuters.
However, the news agency cited a senior US official as saying it was unclear whether anyone from Moscow would show up, and that Washington does not expect an announcement about Russia’s plans until early on Thursday morning.
US officials are hoping Russia will agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire, the senior US official said, adding that Kyiv has already agreed to abide by such a deal. The ceasefire is also backed by the Europeans, the official said.
While Mr Kellogg, a retired US general, was reported in March to have been removed from high-level peace talks at the request of the Kremlin, Mr Witkoff – a former real estate mogul – has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv’s allies with his proximity to the Kremlin, having met with Mr Putin multiple times in recent months in Moscow.
Watch: Ukrainians distrustful of Putin’s motives behind talks with Kyiv
14:57
,
Andy Gregory
Zelensky says only meeting Putin face-to-face can deliver peace
14:42
,
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he wants to negotiate an unconditional 30-day ceasefire face-to-face with Vladimir Putin at this week's talks in Istanbul because only the Russian leader could enact such a pause.
Accusing Putin of being “scared” of meeting him, Mr Zelensky said he expects “strong sanctions” from the US and European Union if the talks do not take place – warning that a failed meeting would show that Russia was not ready for diplomacy.
Mr Zelensky told reporters that because “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin, the only way to secure a ceasefire and an end to the war was through direct talks with him.
“If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war,” he said.
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he will first meet Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would head to Istanbul if Mr Putin arrived there.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had invited Donald Trump to Thursday’s meeting but had yet to confirm his attendance. Mr Trump offered on Monday to join the prospective talks while he was travelling in the region.
The Ukrainian leader also said China had signalled it supported a 30-day ceasefire, which Mr Zelensky says is necessary before any peace talks can happen.
Putin ‘prevaricating’ and ‘obfuscating’ on peace talks, says Lammy
14:32
,
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin is “prevaricating” and “obfuscating” on peace talks with Ukraine, the UK’s foreign secretary David Lammy has said.
Speaking in the Commons, Tory MP and former foreign secretary James Cleverly asked Mr Lammy what steps the UK was taking to ensure that Donald Trump remains “committed to defending territorial integrity”, and to ensure the White House understands that allowing Mr Putin to “prosper” in Ukraine will embolden future invasions.
Mr Lammy replied: “[Mr Cleverly] will have seen that the prime minister was with President Zelensky and other European partners, he will have noted that they engaged with President Trump.
“We welcome the desire to get an enduring peace but there must be a ceasefire in order to engage in those talks, it seems to me.
“And it is Putin that is prevaricating, it is Putin that is obfuscating, and we must call that out with our long experience of scrutinising that particular individual.”
Russia is ready for serious talks on Ukraine, Ryabkov claims
14:18
,
Andy Gregory
Russian deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has claimed that Russia is ready for serious talks on Ukraine – but that Moscow doubts Kyiv is ready for negotiation.
“It is premature to make predictions,” Mr Ryabkov was quoted by Russian state news agencies as saying. “The question should be addressed to the sponsors of the Kyiv regime and Kyiv itself: are they ready to negotiate?”
“We have a firm impression that with the current approach, the word that can characterise the line of these figures is non-agreement,” state news agency Tass quoted him as saying.
Mr Ryabkov said the realities “on the ground” in the context of the conflict in Ukraine should be recognised, including the incorporation of what Moscow calls “new territories” into Russia, RIA reported.
After launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia then sought in September 2022 to illegally annexe four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzia and Kherson. Despite still only holding partial control over these regions, which are still subject to some of the war’s fiercest fighting, Moscow is pushing for Kyiv to concede them.
Germany’s Merz threatens Russia with fresh EU sanctions
13:59
,
Andy Gregory
The European Union is ready to impose tighter sanctions on Russia if progress on ending the war in Ukraine is not made this week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.
Warning that a new package of sanctions has been prepared, Mr Merz told reporters: “We are waiting for Putin’s agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions.
“We will be looking at other areas, such as the energy sector and also the financial market.”
EU foreign policy chief says Russia not truly interested in peace in Ukraine
13:41
,
Andy Gregory
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that she does not believe Russia is truly interested in establishing peace in Ukraine.
“I don't think they are interested in peace. They are still bombing Ukraine. If they were interested in peace, they could stop right now,” Ms Kallas told reporters at a democracy summit in Copenhagen.
“Russia is clearly playing games, trying to buy time,” she said.
Kremlin declines to comment on whether Putin will attend Turkey talks
13:27
,
Andy Gregory
The Kremlin has declined to comment on whether Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkey to attend peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
Mr Putin proposed on Sunday that direct talks with Ukraine should take place, and – after US president Donald Trump publicly told Mr Zelensky to accept, the Ukrainian president said that he would go but that Mr Putin should attend in person too.
“The Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the talks and Mr Zelensky’s demand that Mr Putin attend.
“We are not going to comment any more yet.”
When asked directly who would represent Russia at the talks, Mr Peskov said: “As soon as the president sees fit, we will announce it.”
Zelensky will only attend talks if Putin does, his aide says
13:00
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky will only attend talks on Ukraine if Russia's Vladimir Putin is also there, the Ukrainian leader's top aide said today, challenging the Kremlin to show it is genuine about seeking peace.
"President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters today.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Mr Zelensky's trip to Turkey showed Kyiv was ready for talks but repeated Ukraine's stance that any negotiations must come after a ceasefire.
"Our position is very principled and very strong," Mr Yermak said during a visit to Copenhagen.
Moscow has not said if the Russian leader will travel to Turkey and settle the war with Ukraine.
Donald Trump, who is due to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week, has also unexpectedly offered to travel to Istanbul, to mediate the peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
Putin says ‘no’ to a ceasefire, but ‘yes’ to talks with Zelensky – what is he up to?
12:45
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin’s 2am press conference on Sunday was not just theatre, it was his latest salvo in the psychological battle to shape global perceptions of who is truly to blame for Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Russia was ready for peace talks in Turkey this Thursday, Putin said, with no conditions attached. That meant no ceasefire as a prelude to talks.
Volodymyr Zelensky took the wind out of Putin’s sails by replying that he was willing to break the Ukrainian taboo on negotiating with the Kremlin so long as it occupied its territory. He even said in his television address: “We are prepared to end the war.”
That was a big concession to the invader, but it was accompanied by a demand that Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire – also demanded by the four European leaders whom Zelensky had just met.
By declaring that he would be waiting for him in Istanbul, and daring Putin to meet him face to face for the first time since 2019, Zelensky was throwing down a challenge. It could yet blow up in either leader’s face.
How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge
12:30
,
Arpan Rai
While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.
In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.
"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.
If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.
Is Putin going to talks in Turkey? Kremlin answers
12:15
,
Arpan Rai
Russia will announce who is attending the proposed peace talks in Turkey when president Vladimir Putin sees fit to, the Kremlin said on this morning.
It declined to comment on questions about whether or not Mr Putin would attend himself.
The Russian leader on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, and, after US president Donald Trump publicly told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to accept, Mr Zelensky said he would but that Mr Putin should attend in person.
German defence minister pushes for fresh Russia sanctions
12:00
,
Arpan Rai
The West must increase its sanctions on Russia as well as its military support to Ukraine after Russia did not agree to an immediate ceasefire on Monday, German defence minister Boris Pistorius said today.
"There needs to be further steps as regards sanctions as well as additional support for Ukraine since (Russian president Vladimir) Putin, as was to be expected, is behaving as usual in such a situation," Mr Pistorius told reporters in Berlin.
Everything we know about Russia and Ukraine peace talks in Turkey
11:51
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine and Russia are set to meet in Turkey for peace talks three years after initial talks in the country broke down, with US president Donald Trump suggesting he could fly in to join the negotiations.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has also announced that he will be in Istanbul for the talks, due to start on Thursday, and has called for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him there.
Who will be attending?
The person who has been most vocal about his attendance is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. He wrote on social media earlier this week that he supports Mr Trump’s calls for direct talks with Mr Putin.
Tom Watling reports:
Macron rubbishes cocaine train claims: ‘Fake news spread by France’s enemies’
11:45
,
Arpan Rai
France has shut down a wild conspiracy peddled by the Russian foreign ministry that Europe’s leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, were doing cocaine together on a train into Ukraine.
The claims centre on a video in which French president Emmanuel Macron picks up a white tissue from a table and German chancellor Friedrich Merz retrieves a coffee stirrer. Sir Keir is seen smiling on the opposite side of the table.
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote a lengthy diatribe on social media site Telegram over the weekend in which she claimed the video was evidence that the trio had spent the train journey doing cocaine and had forgotten to remove the drug paraphernalia. She claimed the tissue was a bag of cocaine and the stirrer was a spoon used to consume the drugs.
What has Trump said about gatecrashing Putin-Zelensky meeting in Turkey this week
11:30
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has suggested he could join Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet for peace talks there.
“You may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey … and I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I've got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen, but we've got to get it done,” Mr Trump said in the White House yesterday.
Mr Trump’s current schedule has him visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week.
The US president added that he insisted that the meeting between the two leaders takes place.
“I think you’re going to have … maybe a good meeting, you have the potential for a good meeting. A meeting wasn’t going take place, and I insisted that that meeting take[s] place...,” Mr Trump said.
Zelensky will only attend talks if Putin does, his aide says
11:21
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky will only attend talks on Ukraine if Russia's Vladimir Putin is also there, the Ukrainian leader's top aide said today, challenging the Kremlin to show it is genuine about seeking peace.
"President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters today.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Mr Zelensky's trip to Turkey showed Kyiv was ready for talks but repeated Ukraine's stance that any negotiations must come after a ceasefire.
"Our position is very principled and very strong," Mr Yermak said during a visit to Copenhagen.
Moscow has not said if the Russian leader will travel to Turkey and settle the war with Ukraine.
Donald Trump, who is due to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week, has also unexpectedly offered to travel to Istanbul, to mediate the peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official
11:10
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky will only meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Turkey on Thursday and not any other member of a Russian delegation, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said this morning.
Mr Zelensky has said he is ready to meet in Istanbul for a summit to end the war, accepting Mr Putin’s offer of direct talks.
The latest statement from Kyiv doubles down on Mr Zelensky’s offer to meet Mr Putin personally to gauge if Russia is indeed serious about ending the war in Ukraine.
Last night, US president Donald Trump offered to join the proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks.
Russia launches its smallest overnight attack this year
10:55
,
Arpan Rai
Russia launched just 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in night-time attacks, the Ukrainian air force said this morning.
That makes it the smallest overnight aerial bombardment this year at a time when the warring countries are preparing for the possibility of peace talks in Turkey.
The Kremlin hasn't directly responded to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's challenge for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him in person at the negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday.
Mr Zelensky will not be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Mr Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr Zelensky, said this morning on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.
Lower-level talks would amount to simply "dragging out" any peace process, Mr Podolyak said.
European leaders have recently accused Mr Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he attempts to press his bigger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.
Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders from Monday (yesterday), when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine.
Mr Putin instead offered direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday.
Zelensky seeks Trump's presence at Turkey talks
10:30
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has backed Donald Trump’s presence at peace talks in Istanbul this week, saying Ukraine has “always supported diplomacy” and that he is “ready to come to Türkiye”.
“President Erdogan has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
He also called out silence from the Kremlin on direct offers from Kyiv for peace talks.
“Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. One way or another, Russia will have to end this war – and the sooner, the better. There is no sense in continuing the killing,” he said.
Ukraine has always supported diplomacy. I am ready to come to Türkiye. Unfortunately, the world still has not received a clear response from Russia to the numerous proposals for a ceasefire.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 12, 2025
Russian shelling and assaults continue. Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the… pic.twitter.com/4AGiLX5Sdf
Putin says ‘no’ to a ceasefire, but ‘yes’ to talks with Zelensky – what is he up to?
10:15
,
Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin’s 2am press conference on Sunday was not just theatre, it was his latest salvo in the psychological battle to shape global perceptions of who is truly to blame for Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Russia was ready for peace talks in Turkey this Thursday, Putin said, with no conditions attached. That meant no ceasefire as a prelude to talks.
Volodymyr Zelensky took the wind out of Putin’s sails by replying that he was willing to break the Ukrainian taboo on negotiating with the Kremlin so long as it occupied its territory. He even said in his television address: “We are prepared to end the war.”
That was a big concession to the invader, but it was accompanied by a demand that Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire – also demanded by the four European leaders whom Zelensky had just met.
Summit diplomacy can end wars, writes Mark Almond:
Russia setting conditions to reject Zelensky’s invitation to meet Putin – ISW
10:00
,
Arpan Rai
Officials in Russia appear to be setting conditions for Vladimir Putin to reject Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to meet in Istanbul for bilateral ceasefire negotiations, a US-based think tank said.
Mr Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy”, according to Russian Federation Council speaker Konstantin Kosachev, further claiming that high-level meetings are not organised in “such a difficult situation”, The Institute for the Study of War said.
Additionally, doubts have been expressed over whether Mr Putin will travel to Istanbul to meet with Mr Zelensky by Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs deputy chairperson Alexei Chepa.
“Kremlin-level officials have not formally responded to Zelensky's invitation as of this report, although statements from lower-level Russian officials indicate that Putin will likely not travel to Istanbul and meet with Zelensky,” the ISW said.
Fighting continues on frontline despite proposed ceasefire, says Ukrainian military
09:45
,
Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian military's general staff said that as of 10pm (1900 GMT) yesterday, there have been 133 clashes with Russian forces along the frontline since midnight, when the ceasefire was to have come into effect.
Ukraine's top commander, Oleksander Syrskyi, was quoted by Volodymyr Zelensky as saying the heaviest fighting still gripped the Donetsk region, the focus of the eastern front, and Russia's western Kursk region, nine months after Kyiv's forces staged a cross-border incursion.
The fighting was at the same intensity it would be if there were no ceasefire, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the military on Ukraine's eastern front.
How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge
09:30
,
Arpan Rai
While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.
In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.
"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.
If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.
Zelensky seeks Trump's presence at Turkey talks
09:15
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has backed Donald Trump’s presence at peace talks in Istanbul this week, saying Ukraine has “always supported diplomacy” and that he is “ready to come to Türkiye”.
“President Erdogan has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
He also called out silence from the Kremlin on direct offers from Kyiv for peace talks.
“Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. One way or another, Russia will have to end this war – and the sooner, the better. There is no sense in continuing the killing,” he said.
Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official
08:45
,
Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky will only meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Turkey on Thursday and not any other member of a Russian delegation, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said this morning.
Mr Zelensky has said he is ready to meet in Istanbul for a summit to end the war, accepting Mr Putin’s offer of direct talks.
The latest statement from Kyiv doubles down on Mr Zelensky’s offer to meet Mr Putin personally to gauge if Russia is indeed serious about ending the war in Ukraine.
Last night, US president Donald Trump offered to join the proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks.
While Russia has not clarified if it plans to attend the talks and at what level, officials from the Kremlin have signalled Mr Putin will not join the talks.
Mr Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy”, according to Russian Federation Council speaker Konstantin Kosachev, further claiming that high-level meetings are not organised in “such a difficult situation”, The Institute for the Study of War said.
EU will quit Russian energy even if Ukraine peace reached, says energy chief
08:22
,
Arpan Rai
The European Union does not intend to revive its imports of Russian energy after a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, the bloc's Energy Commissioner said this morning.
"The European Union is very clear, we do not wish energy from Russia in the future. We don't wish it now, and we will not wish it after a peace," Dan Jorgensen told reporters at a meeting of EU ministers in Warsaw.
The EU intends to halt imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027 to deprive Russia of revenue that helps fuel his war on Ukraine, the bloc’s executive branch said last week.
“Putin has shown that he doesn’t mind weaponising gas,” Mr Jorgensen has said as he outlined the plan last week.
“We do not want to fill up his war chest and support his war economy because who knows which countries will be next.”
The European bloc says it has cut gas imports from 45 per cent to 19 per cent, and oil from 27 per cent to 3 per cent, of its prewar levels. But that still makes it Russia’s biggest gas client, with pipelines in operation across the Black Sea, Belarus, and Turkey, according to the Energy and Clean Air think tank.
Turkish and Russian diplomats discuss Ukraine-Russia peace talks
08:10
,
Arpan Rai
Russia says its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan spoke yesterday to discuss Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold direct Russian-Ukrainian talks this week in Turkey.
"The heads of the two ministries discussed issues linked with the initiative by Russian Federation President VV Putin about beginning direct talks on a Ukrainian settlement on 15 May in Istanbul," the ministry said in a statement.
A Turkish diplomatic source earlier said the two ministers had spoken, but gave no further details.
Mr Putin issued the proposal at the weekend after European leaders met in Kyiv and urged Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire in its war in Ukraine by Monday or face new sanctions.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said that