Kyiv [Ukraine], May 12: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on May 15, after his US counterpart Donald Trump publicly called on Kyiv to immediately accept the Kremlin's proposal for direct dialogue.
"I will wait for Mr. Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally... I hope this time the Russian side will not find excuses to avoid it," Mr. Zelensky wrote on social network X.
According to Reuters, Mr. Zelensky's statement ended a 48-hour period of many developments, when European leaders unanimously called for a 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12, while the Russian President unexpectedly spoke on television to propose holding the first direct dialogue between the two sides on May 15 in Istanbul. It is unclear whether Mr. Putin plans to attend directly.
The Kremlin chief's proposal came just hours after major European powers said from Kyiv that Mr Putin must accept an unconditional ceasefire within 30 days or face tough new sanctions.
In his speech, Mr. Putin proposed "direct negotiations without preconditions," but shortly afterward, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stressed that the talks must be based on the draft 2022 peace agreement and the current situation on the ground.
In addition, Mr. Putin also rejected "ultimatums" in the form of ceasefire requests from the West and Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the root causes of the war must be discussed before talking about a ceasefire.
According to AFP, Mr. Zelensky's reaction to his declaration of wanting to meet Mr. Putin directly followed Mr. Trump's post.
"President Putin does not want a ceasefire but wants to meet face-to-face on Thursday in Türkiye to negotiate an end to the bloodshed. Ukraine should agree immediately," Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social.
Russia has yet to respond to the Ukrainian president's latest proposal.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
