dpa correspondents
dpa
(TNS)
Kiev (dpa) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday to engage in direct talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”
His post came after Putin said he was open to holding negotiations in Istanbul as early as Thursday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, which has lasted more than three years.
“I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” Zelensky wrote.
Minutes before Zelensky posted, US President Donald Trump took to social media to urge Ukraine to “IMMEDIATELY” accept Putin’s proposal for direct peace talks.
“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!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Zelensky said at the weekend he would agree to direct talks on condition that Putin implement a 30-day ceasefire – a stipulation the Russian leader has so far refused.
Trump also expressed concern about whether or not Putin was still interested in a peace agreement. “I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War II,” Trump wrote in the same post.
Earlier on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described his country as an ideal location for negotiations. His communications director said Erdoğan separately told French President Emmanuel Macron and Putin that Turkey stands ready to host talks.
The Kremlin confirmed Putin’s phone call with Erdoğan. The Russian initiative to resume negotiations was discussed in detail, Moscow said.
The developments come after Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met in Kiev on Saturday.
Together with Zelensky, they called for Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire without preconditions, set to commence on Monday, or face new sanctions.
Kremlin officials immediately rejected the plan to halt the fighting, with Putin making the counter offer of direct negotiations with Zelensky a few hours later.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces launched fresh attacks in eastern Ukraine after a three-day ceasefire unilaterally announced by Moscow ran out. The truce coincided with celebrations in Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The strikes appear to be on a smaller scale for the time being, with 67 Russian attacks on various sections of the front being counted in the late afternoon. In recent weeks, nearly 100 combat operations had been recorded daily.
Most Russian attacks on Sunday were reported from the area around the long-running flashpoint of Pokrovsk. Russian soldiers launched 36 attacks there in efforts to break through Ukrainian defence lines.
Ukrainian officials wrote on Telegram that the attacks were repelled.
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