President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 12 to discuss the details of a proposed meeting in Turkey between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
Following his self-declared Victory Day 'truce', Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected calls for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Putin instead invited Ukraine to engage in direct talks in Istanbul later this week.
Zelensky responded by accepting the invitation, saying he was ready to meet Putin in Turkey on May 15 — a decision that various experts told the Kyiv Independent may have caught Putin off-guard.
"We are ready for direct negotiations with Putin. And it is very important that all of us in Europe are working together for long-term security guarantees," Zelensky said following the phone call. "We will remain in constant contact with the United States."
In a read-out provided by the Turkish president's office, during the call Erdogan "emphasized that he considers the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to be extremely important and stated that (Turkey) is ready to provide the necessary support at every stage of the process."
The statement added that Turkey would be "pleased to host the Russian and Ukrainian delegations."
Despite offering the meeting, Putin has yet to formally confirm his attendance on May 15.
"Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence," Zelensky later said in his evening address.
Russia is facing mounting pressure from Western allies to agree to a ceasefire and begin top-level direct negotiations.
Following a meeting in Kyiv, the leaders of the U.K., Germany, France, and Poland threatened to implement additional sanctions if it did not agree to a ceasefire by May 12. Upping pressure on Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he believed "both leaders are going to be there," adding "I even thought about flying over — I'm not sure where I'll be on Thursday."
Ahead of the May 15 meeting, a source close to the President’s Office told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine is "ready for all options" — but there are still several unanswered questions, potential curveballs from the White House, and multiple ways the week could turn out.
Chris York,
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