Zelenskyy will travel to Turkey for talks with Putin. Will Putin come?

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in person in Turkey.

He expects a ceasefire from Russia and will personally wait for Putin in Istanbul on May 15. At the same time, according to unofficial reports, Zelenskyy will go to Turkey for talks even if Russia refuses to cease fire on May 12.

The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, responded to Zelensky’s statement: “Russia’s ceasefire, then everything else.”

At the same time, US President Donald Trump believes that Ukraine should immediately agree to Russia’s proposal for direct talks in Turkey, as Putin does not want to conclude a ceasefire agreement but seeks to discuss a possible end to the war.

“They will be able to determine whether a deal is possible, and if not, European leaders and the US will know where everything is and can act accordingly. I’m beginning to doubt that Ukraine will come to an agreement with Putin, who is too busy celebrating the victory in World War II,” Trump said.

It is worth noting that on May 15, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also be in Turkey, where he will be attending an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers on May 14-16 to discuss further support for Ukraine.

Trump has also raised the possibility of flying to Turkey on Thursday to join the likely Zelenskiy-Putin talks.

At the same time, the Russian leadership has not made any statements about Putin’s participation, but Russia is likely to be represented at the talks in Turkey by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.