Zelenskyy, four European leaders hold phone call with Trump after Istanbul talks

The spokesman for the Ukrainian president, Serhii Nykyforov, reported that the phone call between Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Trump took place after the Ukrainian and Russian delegations finished talks in Turkey.

Zelenskyy later said that he and allies had discussed the meeting in Istanbul with the U.S. president.

"Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance. Our position — if the Russians reject a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings, tough sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war," he emphasized.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On the evening of May 14, Russia announced the composition of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be present during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on May 15.

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey took place in Istanbul. Following this, negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine began, with some delay.