Zelenskyy announces new round of talks with Russia: Where they might take place
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is discussing the possibility of new negotiations with Russia together with its international partners. Three countries are being considered as potential locations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a briefing.
According to the head of state, he held talks with US President Donald Trump and a number of European leaders.
"We are considering the possibility — and I believe this is a positive outcome of our discussion — we are, in any case, considering the possibility of a meeting, once again, a meeting of all the teams. We want it to happen at a high level: the US, Ukraine, Russia, and representatives of the countries that were mentioned — that is, France, Britain, Italy, and Germany — and additionally the United Kingdom," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, such a meeting could take place in Türkiye, the Vatican, or Switzerland. The main question remains who will be able to organize the meeting in a way that ensures it is effective.
He also clarified that the Vatican could serve as a "very favorable platform" for negotiations.
"Of course, I'm not comparing it to Istanbul or, perhaps, the platform our Swiss friends could offer. However, I truly believe that Pope Leo XIV can indeed provide us with support. And this is a very important message I heard from him during our bilateral meeting, which turned out to be very productive," the Ukrainian president added.
The president emphasized that Ukraine is not choosing an alternative to Türkiye.
"We are looking at it from the perspective of results — when the host country preparing the meeting is capable of ensuring the appropriate level of delegation presence," he clarified.
According to him, Ukraine wants any potential platform to offer the highest possible level of representation for the talks.
"If it's technical teams, then the highest possible level of technical teams. If we are ready for a meeting of leaders, then it must be the actual decision-makers — real leaders," the president said.
Ukraine-Russia talks
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place on Friday, May 16. During the talks, the two sides agreed on a prisoner exchange — 1,000 for 1,000 people.
Ukrainian and Russian officials also discussed the possibility of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, stated that the next step would be organizing a high-level meeting.
