European and U.S. officials, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, reportedly convinced Zelensky that attending the peace talks would reflect positively on Kyiv, diplomats told the Washington Post.
"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press conference after Russia declared the annexation of four occupied Ukrainian regions on Sept. 30, 2022. (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the Alliance would continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. He added NATO would never recognize the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory. "Annexation will not change the position of NATO countries regarding support for Ukraine," he said.
"If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting – Ukraine will cease to exist as an independent state," Stoltenberg said.
However, Stoltenberg emphasized that "NATO is not part of the conflict." He didn't address President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement several hours prior in which the president said Ukraine has applied for NATO membership. Zelensky said Ukraine should count on the NATO fast-track accession.
"De facto, we have already become a NATO ally. We trust each other, we help each other, and we protect each other. This is the Alliance," Zelensky said. "Today, Ukraine submits an application to make this de jure. (Our accession) would be a formal solidifying of the real state of things we've already achieved."
Stoltenberg said that "countries can apply to join the alliance."
On Sept. 30, Putin declared the annexation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts.
Putin also dedicated a considerable amount of time to homophobic remarks, lashing out at the West for promoting LGBTQ+ rights and "hooking people up on drugs," in an apparent attempt to appeal to his conservative base.
In his response, Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for peace talks with Russia but only with a different Russian president.
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