Zelensky: I will meet Putin in Türkiye next Thursday and expect a ceasefire tomorrow

Zelensky:

I will meet Putin in Türkiye next 

Thursday and expect a ceasefire tomorrow

Vladimir Zelensky announced that he expects a complete and permanent ceasefire

starting tomorrow, Monday, stressing that he will wait for Russian President

Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday.

He said :

We expect a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire starting tomorrow

to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in postponing

the killings. I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Türkiye. Personally

I hope this time the Russians won't look for excuses to stop them," he said.

It is worth noting that

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly

•  put forward ceasefire initiatives in Ukraine

• but they have been constantly sabotaged by the Ukrainian side.

President Putin :

confirmed at a conference of

the Russian and foreign press held on Sunday morning that "the Kiev authorities

and you see this well for yourselves - (Ukraine) have never responded to our

previous proposals for a ceasefire

stressing that "

we have never refused to enter into a dialogue with the Ukrainian side." 

The Russian President

announced that he would discuss with his Turkish counterpart

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

the possibility of holding negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, proposing to

the Kiev authorities - despite everything that has passed - to resume direct

negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 without any preconditions.

For his part

the Turkish President supported Putin's initiative, stressing his

readiness to provide an Istanbul platform for negotiations.

The Russian President's proposal comes as a resumption of efforts to settle

the Ukrainian crisis that took place in early March 2022 between Russia

and Ukraine in Belarus after the start of the special military operation

but it did not yield any tangible results.

On March 29, 2022 :

a new round was held in Istanbul :

where Moscow received for the first time from Kiev written principles of a future

agreement, which included commitments regarding Ukraine’s neutral status

and its refusal to :

deploy weapons to foreign countries, including nuclear ones, on its territory, but

the Ukrainian side stopped the negotiation process and withdrew from the talks. 

Trump:

Ukraine must immediately agree to Putin's invitation to

meet on Thursday in Türkiye to negotiate

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukraine must immediately agree

to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet on

Thursday in Turkey to negotiate.

"Ukraine must agree to this immediately,"

 Trump wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform.

The US President added

"The negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will at least determine whether a

deal is possible," expressing his doubts that Kiev will agree to this deal.

"If (Ukraine)

does not agree, European leaders and the United States will know

what positions everyone is taking and will act accordingly," he said.

Russian President

Vladimir Putin announced that

he would discuss with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

the possibility of holding negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul.

The Russian leader also proposed to the authorities in Kiev - despite everything 

to resume direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 without any preconditions.

For his part :

the Turkish President supported Putin's initiative, stressing his readiness to

provide an Istanbul platform for negotiations. Vladimir Zelensky said Ukraine

was ready for the meeting, but stipulated that Russia cease fire from May 12.