World
India
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that he will be in Ankara on Thursday, ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks aimed at ending the war that has raged for over three years, The Associated Press reported. The planned summit comes amid mounting pressure from the United States and European leaders to bring the conflict to a negotiated resolution.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskyy confirmed that he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital and wait for Putin to join them.
“I will do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with (Putin) that I must negotiate a ceasefire, as only he can decide on it,” Zelenskyy said, according to AP.
Zelenskyy also expressed a willingness to shift the meeting from Ankara to Istanbul, should Putin prefer: “If Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there from Ankara.”
But he also issued a stern warning about the consequences of a no-show from the Russian president. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” Zelenskyy reportedly said, urging Western leaders to respond with forceful action if Putin fails to attend. He added that if that happens, the United States and Europe should follow through with their threats of “additional and heavy sanctions against Russia.”
Meanwhile, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined for the second day in a row to confirm whether Putin will attend the negotiations. “As soon as the president considers it necessary, we will make an announcement,” AP quoted Peskov as saying.
While the Kremlin has yet to confirm Putin’s participation, it has indicated a willingness to send a delegation to Istanbul “without preconditions.”
The anticipated summit comes as the United States intensifies its diplomatic push, with President Donald Trump, currently on a four-day trip across the Middle East, urging both sides to engage in the Ankara talks. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the talks,” Trump said Tuesday. An official told AP on the condition of anonymity that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is also scheduled to take part in the negotiations.
Trump, who took office in January with a promise to end the war, has made resolving the conflict a cornerstone of his foreign policy agenda. Washington has been pressuring both Kyiv and Moscow to come to the table since his inauguration.
ALSO READ: Israel Targets Hamas Leader Mohammed Sinwar in Hospital Strike: Report
