Zelensky asked Trump to assist in facilitating face-to-face negotiations between him and Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on US President Donald Trump to help facilitate a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday (May 15), while accusing Putin of not sincerely hoping to end the war.

AFP reported that Zelensky said in Kyiv on Tuesday (13th) that if Putin is absent from the negotiations in Istanbul, Western countries should impose large-scale sanctions on Russia, and emphasized that he will "do his utmost" to facilitate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Zelensky said, "This war was initiated by him (Putin), so he should attend the negotiations."

The Kremlin refused to disclose whether Putin would travel to Turkey.

On the other hand, Trump said in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday that a US delegation including Secretary of State Rubio will attend the Russia-Ukraine talks to be held in Istanbul, and said that this negotiation "may achieve some quite good results".

This will be the first direct negotiation between Russia and Ukraine since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin issued a statement to the media in the early hours of Sunday (the 11th), proposing that Russia and Ukraine unconditionally resume direct negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday. Putin also said that some new ceasefire proposals might be agreed upon during the negotiations. Zelensky posted on social media last Sunday night, the 11th, that he was ready to meet Putin in Istanbul on Thursday and hoped that Putin would not make excuses not to attend.