In a pointed message, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he hopes the current period of high-stakes gambits between Russia and Ukraine will end with President Donald Trump understanding that Vladimir Putin is the real obstacle to a peace deal.
The back-and-forth diplomacy began with a visit to Kyiv by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland last Saturday, timed symbolically to come just one day after a set-piece military parade in Moscow marking 80 years since the Soviet victory in the second world war.
After speaking with Trump on the phone, the four European leaders laid down an ultimatum to Putin that he should sign up to a 30-day ceasefire by Monday or face further sanctions.
Putin rejected the ultimatum, instead offering the Istanbul talks without a ceasefire.
Speaking to a small group of journalists in his office at the presidential administration in Kyiv, Zelenskyy stated, “Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies.”
“And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy said that he would travel to Turkey on Thursday, May 15, 2025, whether or not Putin flew in for talks.
Zelenskyy said that he had arranged to meet with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara, but would be ready to fly to Istanbul at a moment’s notice if the Russian leader showed up. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” he said.
Previously, after Putin used an unexpected late-night Kremlin address to call for direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul, Zelenskyy responded by saying he would be waiting for Putin personally in Turkey on Thursday.
Zelenskyy said that he was hoping Trump would indeed meet him in Turkey.
“If Trump travels, it will push Putin also to travel. Trump can really help. It’s the situation where the US being present can give important guarantees.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, as well as the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the envoy Steve Witkoff are also reportedly expected in Turkey.
However, there is little sign that Putin is prepared to travel.
Although he has not directly ruled it out, comments from the Kremlin suggest Russia will instead send a lower-level negotiating team to Istanbul. “Our delegation will be there and will wait for the Ukrainian side,” said Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday evening.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said that Russia wanted to use any talks to address the “root causes” of the conflict as Moscow sees them, including the “denazification” of Ukraine and the official incorporation into Russia of annexed territories – suggesting that the rhetoric of the two sides is still very far apart.
No Point In Lower-Level Talks Without Ceasefire Agreement
Moreover, Zelenskyy asserted his belief that without a ceasefire agreed by the leaders, there was no point in beginning lower-level talks.
“I want you to understand why I would meet with Putin. We are not going to be able to agree on everything now. It’s impossible. We have different approaches to life, different worldviews. But we have to somehow find a way to end the war.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
If he and Putin could agree on a ceasefire, Zelenskyy said, then lower-level groups could meet to start hammering out details of the next steps.
He pointed to previous talks in Saudi Arabia, when the Americans acted as intermediaries between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, and a lasting full ceasefire could not be agreed. “Without signals from the leaders, or a meeting of the leaders, this format doesn’t work,” he said.
However, when pressed, he refused to rule out sending a lower-level delegation to Istanbul for talks.
In the event that nothing is agreed during whatever meetings take place in Turkey this week, the big question is whether the Europeans can bring Trump along with them in their plans to ratchet up the pressure on Moscow.
Zelenskyy said he hoped that new sanctions would soon be on the agenda if Thursday’s meetings came to nothing.
