Axios: Zelensky will go to Turkey even if there is no ceasefire
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Turkey even if Russia does not agree to initiate a ceasefire, claims the American news resource Axios, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official.
According to him, the head of state will travel to Turkey on Thursday, May 15, even if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire from Monday, May 12.
This position was not officially announced.
The day before, on the evening of May 11, Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet personally with dictator Vladimir Putin in Turkey. But the message emphasized that Ukraine was waiting for a ceasefire from Monday.
In an evening address, the president noted: "I will be in Turkey this Thursday, May 15th – and I am waiting for Putin in Turkey." At the same time, in the same statement, Zelenskyy stressed the need for a ceasefire.
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, in response to Zelenskyy's first statement, wrote : "A ceasefire by Russia, then everything else."
- At a night press conference in the Kremlin,
Putin suggested that Ukraine resume direct talks in Istanbul on May 15 without preconditions. At the same time, the Russian dictator effectively refused the ceasefire from the 12th, which Ukraine and its partners had agreed on the day before. Shortly before Zelenskyy's statement about meeting with Putin, US President Trump wrote that Ukraine should agree to talks with Russia in Istanbul. The head of the States believes that thanks to the meeting, Kyiv "will at least be able to understand" whether it is possible to conclude an agreement with Moscow – and the West will be able to act accordingly.
- Moscow has not yet responded to Zelenskyy's latest proposal.
