The Ukrainian president reiterated the need to “increase pressure on Russia” to “achieve peace as soon as possible”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “is afraid of a bilateral negotiation,” referring to his absence from the meeting scheduled last week in Istanbul.
“We were really expecting Putin, but he didn’t come. We believe he is afraid of a direct bilateral negotiation,” Zelensky said in his daily evening address.
Zelensky emphasized that “last week there was a real opportunity to take a significant step toward ending the war, to achieve a ceasefire, if a high-level meeting between Ukraine and Russia had taken place in Turkey.”
Nevertheless, Zelensky highlighted the agreement reached on Friday for the exchange of 2,000 prisoners, 1,000 on each side. “In any case, I believe the decision on the exchange of prisoners of war is very important. One thousand people is a large number, and I hope we achieve this result,” he added.
The Ukrainian president stressed the need to “increase pressure on Russia, on Putin” to “achieve peace as soon as possible.” He called for an “unconditional ceasefire” as part of this effort.
In his daily address, Zelensky also explained that he had a phone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during which he updated him on the latest Russian attacks against civilians and emphasized the “urgent need” to improve air defense systems.
“Bloodbath”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will speak separately on Monday with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, one day after the first direct talks in Istanbul in over three years of war.
The Kremlin stated on Saturday that a meeting between President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will only be possible if both parties first reach an agreement.
Trump, who has been pressuring Russia to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, said he will speak with Putin on Monday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the state news agency TASS that the call “is being prepared.”
The aim of the call will be “to end the bloodbath,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“The United States wants to achieve a lasting end to the war between Russia and Ukraine,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who was in Rome on Sunday to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV.
“The peace plan proposed by the United States outlines the best way forward,” she added, confirming that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held a phone call on Saturday and welcomed the prisoner exchange deal reached in Istanbul.
Russian conditions
The Kremlin also stated on Saturday that talks with Ukraine will only continue after the prisoner exchange announced Friday by both parties has been carried out.
“What remains is to do what the delegations agreed on yesterday. This is, of course and first of all, to proceed with the exchange (of prisoners in the format) 1,000 for 1,000,” Peskov said following the talks in Turkey, adding that Russia would send Ukraine a list of conditions for a ceasefire, and that certain agreements could make a meeting between Putin and Zelensky possible.
“The Russian side will prepare this list and deliver it to the Ukrainian side. Perhaps it should not be disclosed publicly, as the negotiations are ongoing and must be conducted behind closed doors,” Peskov responded when asked by a TASS journalist.
Asked about the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky, he replied: “Such a meeting, as the result of the delegations’ work and once certain agreements are reached, is possible. We consider it possible.”
After Friday’s meeting in Istanbul between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Russian representative Vladimir Medinsky said that Ukraine’s request for direct negotiations between the two heads of state would be considered.
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