Zelensky, Putin Agree To Meet in Turkey for First Face-to-Face Peace Talks

President Zelensky and President Putin will meet in Turkey this week to discuss the planned cease-fire and a broader peace agreement, the leaders said on Sunday.The possibility of the two men meeting was first raised by Mr. Putin on Sunday. At a press event in Moscow, the Russian leader said he wanted to meet with the Ukrainians on Thursday to resume negotiations. “It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv. Nevertheless, we are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Mr. Putin told reporters. “Despite everything, we offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.” “We are committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to establish a long-term, lasting peace for the historical perspective,” Mr. Putin added. If the meeting does take place, it will be the first time Messrs. Zelensky and Putin have met face-to-face since the beginning of the war more than three years ago. A cease-fire is scheduled to begin on Monday. Following the Russian president’s remarks, Mr. Trump called for the two leaders to meet in a Truth Social post on Sunday, saying that Mr. Zelensky should accept Mr. Putin’s offer to meet. “President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” Mr. Trump wrote. Less than an hour later, Mr. Zelensky said on X that he would travel to Turkey for the sit-down. “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings,” Mr. Zelensky says. “And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday.”“I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” he added. Mr. Trump himself will be relatively close by at the time the Ukrainian and Russian presidents are supposed to be meeting. Mr. Trump will embark on his first foreign trip of his second term on Wednesday, taking him to the Persian Gulf region. On Thursday, he is scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky, Putin Agree To Meet in Turkey for First Face-to-Face Peace Talks

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