Zelenskyy: Putin not ready for direct talks with Ukraine
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine. His claims of being open to dialogue are just empty talk, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference.
The President reminded that talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine have already taken place in various formats. Meanwhile, Russian media reported that Putin was allegedly ready for direct talks.
"I immediately responded when he said that. I said we would be there. I said I would come on that date. Then other information emerged, saying it’s still unclear, and so on. So for now, it’s just talk," Zelenskyy explained.
He emphasized that all parties must demonstrate their readiness for negotiations, and the first step must be an unconditional ceasefire.
"If an unconditional ceasefire can be arranged today at the technical level, without the leaders, no problem - we don’t need to meet," the President clarified.
However, Zelenskyy added, if such a decision needs to be made at the level of national leaders, he came to Türkiye specifically for that, and the Ukrainian delegation is ready for direct negotiations.
Russia's proposal
It was Russian leader Vladimir Putin who first proposed to resume negotiations with Ukraine. At the same time, he refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days.
After that, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Putin a meeting in Istanbul. The Russian leader declined, instead sending a low-level delegation to Türkiye.
Despite this, Ukraine decided to participate in the talks. The Ukrainian delegation will be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
