Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be waiting ‘personally’ for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the latter called for the resumption of direct talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he “will be waiting” for his maligned Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week. It comes after Putin effectively rejected a ceasefire proposal, but instead called for the resumption of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions”.
In a social media post, Zelensky said Ukraine awaits a “full and lasting ceasefire” and called for it to be implemented tomorrow “to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy”. He said: “There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
Zelensky earlier said it is a “positive sign” that Russia has “finally begun to consider ending the war” after Putin proposed direct talks. Putin’s calls were made the day after Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders travelled to Kyiv and called for the Russian president to accept the demands for a 30-day ceasefire, with a threat of increased sanctions.
Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friederich Merz said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by US President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day. Putin has said the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a “lasting peace” instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilise more men into its armed forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said in comments aired by Russian state TV that Putin’s proposal is “very serious” and “confirms a real intention to find a peaceful solution”. He added: “The goals of the talks are clear: to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. And also to ensure the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired. Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Sunday. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian counter-measures.
The Russian defence ministry accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce.