Zelenskyy announces meeting with Putin in Turkey next Thursday: “I hope there will be no excuses this time”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially announced that he will meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Thursday on Turkish territory, where the first agreements on grain exports were reached in the early stages of the war.

“We are waiting for a full and lasting ceasefire, starting tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Turkey on Thursday. Personally, I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” Zelenskyy said in a post on his official social media accounts.

The statement comes hours after Putin offered direct peace talks without preconditions, also naming Turkey as the host and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the mediator.

This will be the first direct meeting between the two leaders since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, marking a crucial diplomatic moment after years of confrontation and failures in indirect dialogues.

Sources in the Turkish government confirmed that logistical and security preparations are already underway for the meeting, which is expected to take place in Istanbul. The international community is watching with caution, but with renewed hope, the possibility of a real ceasefire and the beginning of a path towards ending the conflict.

So far, the Kremlin has not officially confirmed Putin's presence, although Russian officials have signaled positively about the Ukrainian proposal.