“We’re waiting for Putin at Türkiye on Thursday,” Zelenskyy wrote to X.
Ukrainian rally to rescue pets left behind in the Ukrainian War
Ukrainian citizens are rescuing animals left behind after the war in Ukraine and causing evacuation.
- It was not clear that Putin proposed to attend in person.
- Putin proposed a direct meeting after European powers demanded a 30-day ceasefire, threatening massive new sanctions against Moscow.
- Trump has said true socially that Ukraine should drop its call for a ceasefire and go straight to negotiate the end of the Three Years’ War.
- “Ukraine should agree to this soon,” Trump wrote.
Kyiv-Ukrainian President Voldy Mirzelensky said he agreed to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday after US President Donald Trump told him to immediately accept Putin’s in-person meeting proposal.
Ukrainian leaders responded with caution on May 10, after the Russian president proposed to hold an in-person meeting in Istanbul on May 15 in a nighttime television statement coinciding with US Prime Time.
However, it was not clear that Putin had proposed to meet in person.
“I’m waiting for Putin at Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians don’t look for excuses,” Zelenskyy writes to X.
Putin’s proposal comes hours after the major European powers in Kiev were demanding that Putin agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or “large” new sanctions.
Zelensky also said that Ukraine is ready for talks with Russia, but only after Moscow agrees to a 30-day ceasefire.
Trump weighs
But Trump, who has the authority to continue or cut down Washington’s critical supply of weapons to Ukraine, took another line.
“Russian President Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but he would rather have a meeting in Türkiye on Thursday.
“At least, they can determine if a transaction is possible, and if not, European leaders and the US can know where everything is and proceed accordingly!”
Putin sent Russian troops to Ukraine in February 2022, killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and unleashing the conflict that sparked the most serious conflict between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
With the Russian troops moving forward, the Kremlin chief has so far offered little concession, if any.
In his one night speech, he proposed what he said as “direct negotiations without prerequisites.”
Kremlin backtruck after Putin’s announcement
But almost immediately, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that both the abandoned 2022 draft peace deal and the current situation should be taken into consideration.
The language is a shorthand for Kyiv, which agrees to permanent neutrality in exchange for security guarantees and accepts that Russia controls the Ukrainian belt.
Putin also dismissed what he said was an attempt to abandon the “ultimate” in the form of Western Europe and Ukraine’s demands for a ceasefire that begins on May 12th.
Trump says he wants to be remembered as a peace manager and has repeatedly promised to end the war, responding to Putin’s speech, saying that this could be a potentially wonderful day for Russia and Ukraine.
