Zelenskyy and Witkoff to hold talks in Türkiye – Reuters

"US special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Türkiye on Wednesday and join planned talks there with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Turkish source said on Tuesday," the journalist reported.

Zelenskyy earlier stated that he would depart for Türkiye tomorrow to intensify negotiations and propose prepared solutions to his partners, as well as to restore the exchange of prisoners of war.

Last week, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, shortly after his visit to Türkiye, said that the parties had resumed negotiations on a new prisoner exchange. According to him, Russia plans to release 1,200 Ukrainians. The Kremlin confirmed that Moscow and Kyiv are holding expert-level contacts regarding the exchange.

What came before

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the war between Ukraine and Russia would ultimately be resolved through negotiations. They must be held in Türkiye, since it is the only acceptable place for both sides.

Ukraine and Russia resumed talks in Istanbul in 2025, following Donald Trump's election as President of the United States. However, during three rounds of meetings (in May, June, and July), no progress was achieved, except for the issue of prisoner exchange.

At the same time, the Kremlin is not backing down from its ultimatum demands and is not agreeing to a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Ukraine is not interested in the Kremlin's wishes and does not intend to accept them.

For this reason, on November 12, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya stated that peace negotiations with Russia this year ended almost without results, and therefore they are currently suspended.