Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his readiness to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday. This announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged Zelenskiy to accept Putin’s proposal for negotiations without delay.
Zelenskiy’s willingness to meet his Russian counterpart marked a significant development after an intense 48-hour period in which European leaders had joined Ukraine in calling for a 30-day ceasefire to begin Monday. However, instead of agreeing to the proposed truce, Putin countered with an offer to engage in direct Ukraine-Russia talks—the first such encounter since the early months following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Despite the offer, it remains uncertain whether Putin intends to participate in the talks in person. The two leaders have not met face-to-face since December 2019, and both have publicly displayed disdain for each other.
“I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelenskiy stated on X. He added, “I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also took to Telegram, writing, “What about Putin? Is he afraid? We’ll see.”
The Ukrainian leader’s response followed a televised message from Putin, broadcast late at night on Sunday. Notably, the timing coincided with prime-time evening hours in the United States. During the broadcast, the Russian president proposed holding direct negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday, May 15.
Putin’s proposal came just hours after key European nations had gathered in Kyiv on Saturday to press for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. They warned that failure to comply could result in a new wave of “massive” sanctions. Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, backed that position.
Zelenskiy had also voiced support for peace talks—on the condition that Russia would agree to the ceasefire. But Trump took a different stance, bypassing the truce and pushing for immediate negotiations instead.
“President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire 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 his social media platform, Truth Social.
He added, “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”
Both Kyiv and Moscow have been vying for Trump’s favor. For Ukraine, securing Trump’s support is critical in hopes of maintaining or expanding military assistance from the United States—aid that had been consistently supplied under President Joe Biden. On the other hand, Moscow sees a possible opportunity to negotiate an easing of Western sanctions and re-establish ties with the world’s largest economy.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, plunging the region into one of the deadliest and most consequential military conflicts since the Cold War. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have died, and the standoff has brought relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian forces have been gradually advancing. Yet, President Putin has shown little interest in compromise. In his latest address, he advocated for “direct negotiations without any preconditions.”
However, shortly after his statement, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov clarified that any such negotiations must take into account both the now-defunct 2022 draft peace framework and the current realities on the battlefield.
This phrasing is often interpreted to mean that Ukraine would have to accept a permanently neutral status in exchange for security guarantees and acknowledge Russian control over significant territories that Moscow has seized.
Ukrainian officials have long rejected the 2022 draft terms, arguing that accepting them would be equivalent to surrender.
Meanwhile, Putin dismissed the ceasefire proposal as an “ultimatum” from Western European and Ukrainian leaders. According to Russia’s foreign ministry, any talks must first address the fundamental causes of the war before a ceasefire can be seriously discussed.
Trump, who has frequently presented himself as a global dealmaker and vowed to end the war swiftly if elected again, reacted positively to Putin’s proposal. He declared it “A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
Even though Russia has not formally committed to the ceasefire that European nations proposed, Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s plan to implement it on Monday remained intact.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” Zelenskiy posted on X.
In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskiy emphasized that Ukraine was still awaiting an official response from Russia. He warned that if Russian troops ignored the truce, Ukrainian forces would retaliate accordingly.
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv, anticipating a potentially volatile situation, issued a public advisory last Friday. It warned of a “potentially significant” Russian airstrike in the days ahead, heightening concerns of escalating violence despite the diplomatic overtures.
Whether this tentative opening will lead to substantive negotiations remains uncertain. While Trump’s public call may influence momentum, both Kyiv and Moscow appear to have fundamentally different interpretations of what the talks should achieve and under what conditions. With deep-rooted distrust and no mutual concessions yet on the table, the road to peace remains fraught with challenges.