How could Putin be pushed into talks with Zelenskyy? Ukrainian official explains

Conditions for a meeting

"There is definitely a possibility (of a meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin, Erdoğan, and Trump – ed.) if sanctions start to work. Again, not statements, but actual sanctions start to work, and the cost of war will sharply increase for Russia and for Putin's inner circle," said Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Head of the Office of the President.

According to him, for such a meeting to take place, it is also necessary to ban people close to the president from traveling internationally.

"This could work and force Putin to attend a meeting in order to fix the current status quo," the presidential adviser believes.

At the same time, he clarified that this does not mean the Kremlin leader would want to stop the war. It would essentially be frozen, but the president would continue to look for ways to resume hostilities.

Why Erdoğan is actively involved in the process

Podolyak also noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is actively working on peace negotiations at the level of world leaders.

In particular, he said that if a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States takes place in Türkiye, and Erdoğan acts as moderator, Turkey's regional influence and its role in the Black Sea area would significantly increase.

At the same time, Erdoğan's reputation in the global political arena would greatly improve.

According to Podolyak, an active role in the peace process could also lead to a certain internal political consensus.

"Because Erdoğan, as a global leader and moderator, ends a war that negatively affects profits, for example, in the Black Sea area, Türkiye, and so on," he clarified.

Why Zelenskyy wants a meeting with Putin

Podolyak stated that Zelenskyy's motivation regarding a potential meeting with Putin is "clear."

"The President of Ukraine clearly understands that none of these people — like Medinsky (head of the Russian delegation – ed.) or even Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – ed.) — are authorized to make decisions. They obviously don't make any decisions and can't even behave adequately," he emphasized.

According to Podolyak, it would be possible to speak with Putin "in a different format." And if the president makes certain commitments in the presence of Trump or Erdoğan and then fails to follow through, it would "look completely different."

Zelenskyy-Putin meeting

During the last round of negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia discussed the possibility of a meeting at the level of the two leaders. The Ukrainian delegation proposed holding the talks with the participation of Trump and Erdoğan.

In response to this initiative, Medinsky said that a leaders' meeting "should be the final step" and must be thoroughly prepared.

At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated after the meeting that the parties had "generally agreed" on a meeting between the leaders.