Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Turkey, the Gulf States or European countries could host any talks he may hold with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Turkey, the Gulf States or European countries could host any talks he may hold with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy is pushing for direct talks with Putin to help end Russia's war in Ukraine but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said no agenda had been prepared for such a meeting.
"Now, this week there will be contacts with Turkey, contacts with the Gulf States and with European states which could host talks with the Russians," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
"From our side, things will be prepared to the maximum in order to end the war."
Zelenskiy spoke as his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he and Ukraine's national security council chief were in Qatar to meet that country's defence minister.
In his comments, Zelenskiy also said that moving ahead with talks depended on coordination with Ukraine's partners, primarily the United States, in ensuring that sufficient pressure was exerted on Russia. This, he said, had been discussed on Monday in Kyiv with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.
"Everything further depends strictly on the will of world leaders, most importantly the United States of America, to put pressure on Russia," Zelenskiy said.
"Russia is only giving signals that it is going to continue to avoid real negotiations. This can only be changed by strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure."
Reporting by Ron Popeski and Yuliia Dysa
The mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and a bastion of its secular opposition, joined President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty of a city it has never won at the ballot box.
Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office said on Tuesday, in what will be the first dedicated bilateral visit to NATO ally Turkey by a Canadian leader.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.