Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of being “scared” to meet him for talks in Turkey this week to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has warned that he will only attend the high-stakes talks if Mr Putin also attends, because only a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president can deliver peace.
This is due to the fact that “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin, said Mr Zelensky, adding: “If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war.”
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he would first meet Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would head to Istanbul if Mr Putin arrived there.
The fresh ultimatum comes after US president Donald Trump suggested he could join Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet.
But the Kremlin has declined to comment on whether Mr Putin will travel to Turkey, saying only that “the Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations”.
Trump envoy claims peace can be struck ‘pretty fast’ if Putin attends Turkey talks
Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg has suggested that Thursday’s meeting in Istanbul could be “absolutely incredible” – if Vladimir Putin shows up.
“We’re hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there,” Mr Kellogg, a retired US Army general who is also reportedly due to travel to Turkey on Thursday, told Fox Business Network in an interview.
“This could be an absolutely incredible meeting,” he said. “We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”
Mr Trump had said on Monday he would fly to Istanbul for the meeting if necessary. He is in the Middle East region this week for meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Russia expects direct contact with Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, minister says
Russia expects direct contact between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations during talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.
Russian state news agency Tass quoted Ryabkov as saying Moscow is ready for serious talks but that it doubts Kyiv is similarly ready.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will join the talks in Istanbul if Vladimir Putin is also present, but the Kremlin has so far declined to confirm the Russian president’s attendance.
Zelensky accuses Putin of ‘playing games’ and ‘lying’ to Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky has said Donald Trump needs to realise Vladimir Putin “lies” to him, as the Ukrainian president said he would fly to Turkey today whether or not his Russian counterpart is confirmed as attending.
“Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies. And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process,” Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv at his presidential office yesterday, reported the Guardian.
He added that he will travel to Turkey even if Mr Putin does not come for talks and will fly at a moment’s notice if the Russian president shows up.
“If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” Mr Zelensky said last night.
The Ukrainian president already has a meeting arranged with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara tomorrow.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia are set to meet in Turkey for peace talks three years after initial talks in the country broke down, with US president Donald Trump suggesting he could fly in to join the negotiations.
After a push from Mr Trump and an offer from Mr Putin over the weekend, Mr Zelensky said he is flying to Istanbul to meet the Russian president “personally” for talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump will join peace talks in Turkey if Putin shows up, his envoy says
US president Donald Trump will join the talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey this week if the Russian president does indeed show up, his peace envoy said.
US special envoy Keith Kellogg told Fox Business Network: “We’re hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting,” Mr Kellog said.
“We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”
There has been no confirmation from Moscow so far that Mr Putin will travel to Turkey tomorrow for talks with Mr Zelensky.
During his speech in Saudi Arabia yesterday, Mr Trump said his secretary of state Marco Rubio would attend the talks, as well as others. “We’ll see if we can get it done,” he said.
Zelensky says Putin scared to meet in Turkey but face-to-face can deliver peace
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he wants to negotiate an unconditional 30-day ceasefire face-to-face with Vladimir Putin at this week’s talks in Istanbul because only the Russian leader could enact such a pause.
Accusing Putin of being “scared” of meeting him, Mr Zelensky said he expects “strong sanctions” from the US and European Union if the talks do not take place – warning that a failed meeting would show that Russia was not ready for diplomacy.
Mr Zelensky told reporters that because “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin, the only way to secure a ceasefire and an end to the war was through direct talks with him.
“If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war,” he said.
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he will first meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would head to Istanbul if Mr Putin arrived there.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had invited Donald Trump to Thursday’s meeting but had yet to confirm his attendance. Mr Trump offered on Monday to join the prospective talks while he was travelling in the region – he is due to be in the UAE tomorrow after talks in Qatar today.
The Ukrainian leader also said China had signalled it supported a 30-day ceasefire, which Mr Zelensky says is necessary before any peace talks can happen.
Source: independent.co.uk
