Zelenskyy offered Russia a "ceasefire" before a potential meeting with Putin

President Volodymyr Zelensky is proposing that Russia introduce a ceasefire ahead of a potential meeting between the Ukrainian leader and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin , Zelensky said at a briefing in Kyiv.

"The Russians are not ready for a ceasefire, they believe that this is a matter for leaders. My proposal is that we propose and I think our partners can support us... we propose a ceasefire until the leaders meet. My opinion is personal," Zelenskyy said.

He explained that Ukraine would agree to a meeting in any city the Russians chose, whether it was Istanbul, the Vatican, or Switzerland.

"Why a ceasefire before the leaders meet? Because we will meet, if there is no understanding, no desire for de-escalation, then the ceasefire will end on the same day on the part of the Russians unilaterally. If we see that we can continue the dialogue and are ready for appropriate de-escalation steps, then we will continue the ceasefire regime with American monitoring and mediation," the president said.

According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian side has been ready for the meeting since June 5. He believes that all sides would benefit from a quick meeting if they truly seek to end the war.

Zelensky added that the initiative for the meeting was previously supported by Ukraine's partners – in particular, former US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan .

The president also emphasized that at the meeting, the leaders could discuss technical control over the ceasefire with the participation of a third party, such as the United States, as a mediator and observer.

At the same time, he noted that a meeting of leaders is possible without a ceasefire, the main thing is the political will to start negotiations, as evidence that the Russian side is truly ready to end the war.

• The second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on June 2. The meeting resulted in an agreement, in particular, on a new exchange of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
• On the same day, it became known that at the talks in Istanbul, Russia refused an unconditional ceasefire despite Ukraine's proposal. This was announced by First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia after the meeting.