Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey for negotiations on ending the war.
"Yes, we are ready. We are ready for this meeting in Turkey," Zelensky said in an interview with CNN Türk. He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has his own channel of communication with Putin, so Ukraine supports the idea of holding a meeting in Turkey.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine has close and positive relations with Turkey, and Ankara can be a practical and realistic mediator in negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov had earlier said that Zelensky is sending signals through various channels expressing readiness to engage in dialogue with Putin. "If he really wants to talk, let him come," Ushakov said, noting that Putin has never refused to speak with Zelensky. Asked whether Putin would answer the Ukrainian president's call, Ushakov answered in the affirmative.
The Kremlin has repeatedly invited Zelensky to Moscow for negotiations, but the Ukrainian president has proposed other venues for the meeting. Earlier this year, Putin stated that a meeting in a third country should end with reaching a final agreement on peace and the signing of a concrete document. He said he would consider the meeting effective only on that condition, and in early June he said he saw no point in meeting with Zelensky at this time.
A few days ago, US President Donald Trump announced that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky would take place "very soon," claiming there has been great progress on the Russia-Ukraine issue, but he did not provide details.
Ukraine, Russia and the US plan to resume trilateral meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November, but the exact date of negotiations between technical teams has not yet been determined. According to Putin, their purpose is to discuss the issue of ensuring the security of Russia and Ukraine after the signing of a peace agreement.
Zelensky's statement shows that regarding possible direct negotiations between the parties, not only the fact of the meeting itself is being discussed, but also its location. Turkey's offer is also linked to Erdogan's ability to communicate with Moscow, while the Kremlin has previously insisted that the Ukrainian president should come to Moscow. This difference has not yet been resolved.
More important is the purpose for which the leaders are ready to meet. From Putin's statements it follows that he links the outcome of negotiations to a final peace agreement and the signing of a concrete document, while Zelensky views Turkey as a venue for negotiations with the participation of a mediator. Readiness for a meeting does not yet mean that the parties have agreed on its conditions.
At the same time, the planned trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi could become a separate track for discussing security issues. The date of their holding is not yet known, and there are no clear deadlines in Trump's statement either. At this stage, political statements should be distinguished from confirmed agreements.
