Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reinforced his intention to hold direct talks with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday, even though he said he had little hope that the Russian leader would show up.
The summit would mark the two leaders' first direct encounter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Zelenskyy told a meeting with a selected group of reporters that was attended by Bloomberg News in Kyiv on Tuesday. Its purpose would be to agree on a ceasefire and then let technical teams work out how the truce can be implemented and monitored, he said.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump floated the idea of flying to Turkey to join a potential Zelenskyy-Putin meeting. Putin's absence would make any summit pointless, given that lower-level officials already met in Saudi Arabia in March without achieving any results, the Ukrainian president said.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin is lying," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine is not the side that is slowing down peace negotiations.
Zelenskyy said he believes that the US President is "not against" imposing additional economic restrictions on Russia and that there is political will in Congress to approve a new sanctions bill.
More consultations on sanctions will follow in the coming days, he said, without revealing details. The Trump administration has prepared options for the president to put more economic pressure on Russia should he choose to do so, Bloomberg News previously reported.
Zelenskyy described the planned US sanction package against Russia as "strong and very dangerous." He also said Trump didn't push back when he presented him with a proposal to send a military aid package for Ukraine aimed at making Russians understand they should end the war.
If the leaders' meeting nevertheless takes place, Ukraine will do everything to reach an agreement on a ceasefire, Zelenskyy told a wider group of reporters in Kyiv earlier on Tuesday. He said no other format aside from direct talks between the leaders was being discussed.
Zelenskyy said he will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara Thursday. From there, both he and the Turkish leader would fly to Istanbul if Putin comes, he said.
Russia is ready for serious talks in Istanbul, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday without elaborating on whether Putin would attend, according to Interfax.
"If Putin doesn't come, it will be a final dot and a demonstration that Russia is not ready to end the war," Zelenskyy said, adding he expected strong sanctions from the US and the EU, mainly in the energy and banking sectors.
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