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Putin, Vladimir

Ukraine's Zelenskyy Accepts Peace Talks Offer from Putin in Istanbul

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced he is ready to start peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Thursday, following a phone call with Donald Trump and after Putin's offer to hold talks this week in Turkey. The talks, which were initially proposed by Putin, are set to take place on Thursday, with Zelenskyy awaiting a "full and lasting ceasefire" to start on Monday, the Ukrainian leader said. This comes after a series of back-and-forth negotiations, with Ukraine calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and Russia proposing talks instead.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Thursday for peace talks.
  • The talks are set to take place after a phone call with Donald Trump, who urged Zelenskyy to meet with Putin "immediately".
  • Zelenskyy is awaiting a "full and lasting ceasefire" starting on Monday, which he believes will provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.
  • Ukraine has rejected Russia's demands for a ban on NATO membership, recognition of Putin's annexation of southeast regions, and an end to Western military support for Kyiv.
  • Zelenskyy emphasized that he hopes this time Russia will not find excuses to avoid negotiations.
  • The last time Zelenskyy and Putin met in person was in December 2019 in Paris, for talks brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
  • Russia's demands for peace talks include a bar on Ukraine's NATO membership, recognition of Putin's annexation of southeast regions, and an end to Western military support for Kyiv.
  • Ukraine has stated that accepting these terms would be equivalent to the end of its existence as a modern state.

Statistics:

  • Zelenskyy says Ukraine awaits a 30-day unconditional ceasefire to start on Monday.
  • Putin has proposed talks this week in Turkey.
  • Trump has expressed doubts about Ukraine's willingness to make a deal with Putin, stating "I am starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin".
  • The last time Zelenskyy and Putin met in person was in December 2019 in Paris.

Sources:

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vyacheslav Shapovalov "What Zelenskyy said to offer for talks with Putin in Istanbul, in full". The Financial Times.
  • Michael Schwirtz and Christiaan Triebert "A Sort-Of Truce, and a Complex Conversation About Nuclear War" The New York Times.
  • Karson Yiu and Mike Williams "Russia-Ukraine Conflict" Al Jazeera.

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