Translated with AI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to fly to Istanbul on May 15 for talks with Russia, even if Moscow rejects a 30-day ceasefire, a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter told Axios. Zelensky had previously said that Kiev would agree to resume direct dialogue with Moscow if Russia ceased fire in Ukraine to “provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.” He also stressed that he was ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person. “I hope that this time the Russians will not look for reasons why they cannot,” the Ukrainian president wrote on his Telegram channel.
Putin offered Kiev to resume talks in Istanbul “without preconditions” after Ukraine and its European allies — Britain, France, Germany and Poland — backed by the United States called on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire from May 12 and threatened to tighten sanctions if it refused. US President Donald Trump then demanded that Kiev begin a peace dialogue with Moscow. “Putin does not want a ceasefire, but wants to meet in Turkey on Thursday to discuss a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine must agree to this immediately,” Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social.
According to him, the meeting will clarify whether the parties are ready to conclude a peace agreement in principle, and if not, then "European leaders and the United States will know how things stand and will be able to act accordingly." "I am beginning to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who is too busy celebrating the Victory in World War II, which without the United States of America it was impossible to win (not even close!). Hold a meeting, now!!!" Trump demanded.
In turn, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow and Kyiv's negotiations should take into account those that were interrupted in the spring of 2022, as well as the "real situation." He confirmed Russia's readiness to send a delegation to Turkey, but did not specify its possible composition.
