Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Istanbul to discuss conditions for ending the war. In an interview with CNN Türk in Istanbul, he expressed hope that Türkiye could help arrange the talks.
“This war must end,” Zelenskyy said, calling for a joint effort to move the conflict from active fighting toward diplomacy. He suggested that his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, together with Erdoğan's ties to Trump and Putin, could help advance that effort. Ukraine would welcome a meeting of the three leaders if Türkiye could organise it, he said.
Zelenskyy said the possibility of holding such a meeting in Türkiye had been discussed again. His comments followed a statement on 31 October that he and Erdoğan had considered a Turkish role in negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as the prospect of hosting talks in Türkiye.
He described the planned negotiations between technical teams in Abu Dhabi and a possible leaders' meeting as separate efforts proceeding in parallel. The technical talks would go ahead, he said, but Ukraine also regarded direct discussions among the leaders as necessary because some questions fell beyond the technical teams' defined responsibilities.
The technical negotiations would cover issues including a ceasefire affecting energy infrastructure, a maritime ceasefire and prisoner exchanges, according to Zelenskyy. Those teams could also address preparations for a leaders' meeting. He distinguished their remit from matters that would require consideration at the highest level.
For the leaders, Zelenskyy identified the central task as securing an unconditional and comprehensive halt to fighting, backed by a robust mechanism to monitor compliance. He said their discussions should also address security guarantees, the reconstruction of Ukraine and territorial questions.
On territory, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not surrender its land or recognise Russian ownership of Ukrainian territory under temporary Russian occupation, including Crimea. He said Russia wanted such recognition and was communicating that demand through various mediators, an approach he rejected as unreasonable.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine's immediate priority was to establish a ceasefire along the current line of contact. Other questions would then be addressed after that halt to fighting, placing a ceasefire ahead of further discussions on the remaining disputes.
