In a potential breakthrough moment in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed his readiness to travel to Istanbul for direct peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 15.
The talks, proposed by Putin and facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, would mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since early 2022.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to Erdoğan for his “readiness at the highest level to facilitate diplomacy,” noting that key aspects of the Istanbul meeting had already been discussed. “We discussed key points of the meeting in Turkiye which may help end the war,” he said via Telegram.
While Zelenskyy pledged to attend “personally” and reaffirmed Ukraine’s call for a cease-fire beginning Monday to pave the way for negotiations, the Kremlin has yet to confirm who will represent Russia at the table.
Adding to the diplomatic weight of the event, former U.S President Donald Trump has offered to participate in the talks an offer Zelensky welcomed. The proposal comes amid growing international pressure for a resolution and could reshape the trajectory of the war that has gripped Eastern Europe for over three years.
