Kyiv/Riyadh — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to help secure a face-to-face meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkiye this week, warning that Moscow’s refusal to attend should trigger the West’s harshest sanctions yet.
Zelenskyy said he was prepared to do “everything” possible to make the long-delayed talks happen, calling on the international community to punish the Kremlin if Putin skips the proposed May 15 summit in Istanbul.
“This is his war. Therefore, the negotiations should be with him,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. “If Putin does not come, it will be a clear signal they are not going to end the war.”
The Kremlin has not confirmed Putin’s participation, despite the Russian president proposing renewed dialogue with Ukraine during a weekend address. Russian officials have remained vague, and Moscow has yet to name its representatives for the possible summit.
Trump, speaking in Riyadh at the start of a four-day Middle East visit, said he was “thinking” about attending the Istanbul talks and predicted “some pretty good results” if negotiations proceed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will represent Washington in the delegation.
European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, have warned Moscow of fresh sanctions if there is no visible progress toward peace. Macron called for a 30-day ceasefire beginning May 15 and said failure to comply would carry consequences.
“I think it’s a good move if they sit down,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Copenhagen. “But I don’t think he dares — Putin.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. Moscow now controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014.
Any direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would be the first since talks broke down in March 2022. Zelenskyy is also expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara or Istanbul this week.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would use any talks to press for “de-Nazification” of Ukraine and recognition of territories annexed by Russia—demands Kyiv and its Western allies have firmly rejected. Meanwhile, two civilians were killed Tuesday in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, local officials said.
“Putin does not want the war to end, does not want a ceasefire, does not want any negotiations,” Zelenskyy said. “But I will do everything to ensure that this meeting takes place.” Zelenskyy called on Washington to impose its “strongest ever” sanctions against Russia if Putin fails to attend, saying such a move would expose the Kremlin’s disinterest in ending the conflict.
