Zelenskyy reveals agenda for potential meeting with Putin in Istanbul

He said this in an interview with Liberation.

“If I meet with him, we must come out with a political victory - a ceasefire, an all-for-all prisoner exchange, or something along those lines,” Zelenskyy said.

According to him, "the Russians won’t trust" Ukrainians, and Ukrainians "won’t trust the Russians." Only external mediators, he said, can guarantee the enforcement of any agreements.

“No one knows how long it (editor’s note – the war) will last. But not ten years. Ukraine won’t endure that... It’s costly for everyone - not just for friends, but for enemies too,” the Ukrainian president added.

Background

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 May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed he will visit Turkey on May 15 to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He also said he is ready to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.