Zelenski promises to do anything to provide direct conversations with Putin in Turkey

Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski said he would travel to the capital of Turkey in Ankara to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and be available for direct talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Thursday.

“We will do everything to ensure that this meeting is being held,” he told reporters in a hasty arranged briefing.

Russia has not yet said who will fly to Istanbul, but it will be announced “as soon as President Putin) thinks it is necessary.” Putin and Zelenski have not met for five and a half years.

The direct conversations between the two countries were last held in Istanbul, in March 2022, in the first weeks of the full -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine.

Initially, Putin had called on direct conversations in Turkey’s second city “No Pre -Conditions” before Zelenski announced that he would go personally and expected the Russian president to travel.

The US is also expected to send a high -level delegation.

Confirming his visit to Turkey to a hasty press conference, Zelenski is clearly striving to strengthen the pressure on Russia to respond. The Kremlin has already warned that exercising pressure on Moscow is “useless” and does not respond to ultimatums.

Instead, Russia has tried to focus on a long -term settlement that deals with the “root causes” of the war and deals with “realities of the place”.

However, the Ukrainian leader said that while he was ready to meet Putin in Istanbul, his priority is to provide a 30-day termination of fire, which he said that all Ukraine allies were agreed.

Zelenski said he believed that Putin’s late night’s offer on Sunday for direct conversations in Turkey was created to catch Kiev so that he would not respond “or” react in a negative way to Ukraine. “

US President Donald Trump, who is visiting the Gulf, hinted that he could fly to Istanbul himself, “if I think things can happen.”

This seems to be unlikely so far and the unconfirmed reports suggest that two Higher Messengers of the United States, Steve Vikof and Keith Kelloge are planning to be in Istanbul on the day.

The Kremlin has tried to master speculation that Putin can go alone.

“Russia continues to prepare for the negotiations due on Thursday. That’s all that can be said right now,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was ready to lead “responsibly”, but calls into question Ukraine’s ability to adhere to agreements.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas said it would be a good move for both leaders to sit down and talk, but added, “I don’t think he dares, Putin.”

Zelenski also accused Putin of “scared” to meet him. His head of staff Andry Jermak said that if the Russian leader refuses to go to Istanbul, it would be the “final signal” that he did not want to end the war.

The leaders of the main allies of Ukraine – the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland and France – traveled to Kiev over the weekend to warn more sanctions if Russia did not accept a 30 -day cessation of fire.

Currently, the European Union is working on the 17th package of measures.