Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on Sunday.
Putin initially proposed a Thursday meeting this weekend, and President Donald Trump prompted Zelenskyy to accept the proposal. Putin said the talks in Istanbul must be held without prerequisites and achieve the goal of lasting peace.
"From tomorrow we are waiting for a long-lasting ceasefire to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. It is meaningless to prolong the murder. I will wait for Putin on Thursday at Türkiye. Personally. I hope the Russians will not look for excuses this time," Zelenskyy wrote.
Trump encouraged Zelenskyy to accept Putin's meeting earlier Sunday. Ukraine and Russia are currently in a ceasefire, marking the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Putin of Russia presides over China's XI in a large-scale military parade in Moscow held in Red Square
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to meet with Putin in Istanbul on Thursday. (Getty Image)
"President Putin of Russia does not want to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine, but wants to meet on Thursday in Turkey to end a bloody end," Trump wrote on social media. "Ukraine should agree with this immediately. At least they will be able to determine whether a deal is possible, and if not a deal, European leaders and the United States will know where everything is and can proceed accordingly!"
"I began to doubt whether Ukraine would reach an agreement with Putin, who was too busy celebrating the victory of the World War and would not have won (not even come close!) without the United States of America. Meeting is here now!!!" he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will face to face with Zelenskyy for the first time on Thursday since the 2022 invasion. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin swimming pool photos via AP)
So far, Putin has provided little (if any), but now says that conversation should solve the root cause of the war. He said he will talk to Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan later Sunday to facilitate negotiations, which he said could lead to a ceasefire.
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"As they said, our proposal is on the table," Putin said. "This decision now depends on the Ukrainian authorities and their curators whose personal political ambitions seem to be guided rather than in the interests of the people."
President Donald Trump said the talks between Zelenskyy and Putin could be an opportunity to achieve lasting peace. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Putin's direct negotiation proposal comes hours after European leaders asked the Russian president to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions in Kiev on Saturday. But Putin rejected the attempts of some European powers to issue what he calls "the last atums."
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The Russian leader said he did not rule out that Moscow and Kiev would reach a consensus on "some new conclusions, new ceasefires" during the negotiations in Türkiye, saying the talks would be the first step towards a "sustainable" peace.
Landon Mion of Fox News contributed to the report.