President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on an unconditional ceasefire can be held in Türkiye at the technical group level, without the participation of the heads of state.
The President made this announcement during a press conference following negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
“If an unconditional ceasefire can be achieved today at the level of technical groups, without leaders — no problem. A meeting is not necessary,” Zelensky said.
According to him, all parties must demonstrate a willingness to negotiate. The first step should be a ceasefire.
“Look, the issue is that this is not the first time negotiations are taking place. Negotiations have happened in various formats. You’ve seen Saudi Arabia, you’ve seen several meetings — in London, in France… Meetings on various platforms. Today — it’s Türkiye. It’s very complicated. You know, in Saudi Arabia, there were slightly different formats,” Zelensky noted.
The head of state pointed out that the Russian side was the first to propose a direct presidential-level meeting.
“The Russian Federation said in the media that Putin is ready for direct negotiations. I really responded immediately. He named a date — I said I would be there on that date. Then other information appeared, that it’s not yet certain,” Zelensky said.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced he would send a delegation led by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to Istanbul for talks with the Russian delegation.
Source: Zelensky says ceasefire talks in Türkiye can be held without Putin
