Zelenskyy-Putin meeting would be the next step in negotiations – Umerov
The next step in the negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation would be the organization of a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and dictator Vladimir Putin. This was announced by the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, following the results of the meeting in Istanbul, the "We – Ukraine" TV channel reports.
"Our president was expecting the high-level discussions in here and I think the next step would be that the leaders level meeting should be organized. And that would be our next step," the official said.
Umerov also reiterated the current position of the Ukrainian side: "Ukraine wants peace, Ukraine is focused to people and we're able and capable to continue fight but at the end of the day we need to finalize this war."
Umerov reported that the parties discussed the issue of a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange in the 1000-for-1000 format, as well as a potential meeting between President Zelenskyy and dictator Putin.
- The aggressor country's chief negotiator, Medinsky, stated that Ukraine and Russia would "present their vision" of a possible ceasefire, "write it down in detail," and then return to further negotiations.
President Zelenskyy and European leaders had a telephone conversation with US President Trump: the Ukrainian head of state emphasized that pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war.