Zelenskyy says he’ll be ‘waiting for Putin’ in Turkiye personally

From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make a call to U.S. President Donald Trump from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday he is hoping for a full and temporary ceasefire with Russia starting Monday, adding he would be in Turkiye to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin “personally.”

His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Ukraine accept Russia’s latest offer of holding direct talks in Turkiye on Thursday. Ukraine, along with European allies, had demanded Russia accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday before holding talks, but Moscow effectively rejected the proposal and called for direct negotiations instead.

It was not clear if Zelenskyy was conditioning his presence in Turkiye on the Monday ceasefire holding.

“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in (Turkiye) on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” he wrote on X.

There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.

Trump said in a social media post earlier Sunday that Ukraine should agree to Putin’s peace talks proposal “IMMEDIATELY.”

“At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!” Trump wrote, adding: “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”

Ukraine, allies insist on a ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and Trump.

The leaders pledged tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin did not accept the proposal.

Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected the offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelenskyy and himself personally.

He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations -- but stressed that the Kremlin needs a truce that would lead to a “lasting peace” instead of one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilize more men into its armed forces.

Zelenskyy said on X on Sunday morning that it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”

He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.” “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire -- full, lasting, and reliable -- starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” the Ukrainian leader said on X.

Putin and Zelenskyy have only met once -- in 2019.

In the war’s early months, Zelenskyy repeatedly called for a personal meeting with Putin but was rebuffed. After the Kremlin’s decision in September 2022 to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, none of which Moscow fully controls -- Zelenskyy enacted a decree declaring that holding negotiations with Putin had become impossible.

Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media.

Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”

Moscow presses on with peace talks offer. Turkiye says it‘s ready to host

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention to find a peaceful solution.”

Without directly mentioning Moscow’s proposal, Trump said in a social media post several hours after Putin’s overnight remarks that it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”

“Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending `bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end,” Trump wrote. “I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added.

In another post on Sunday, the U.S. president said Ukraine should accept Moscow’s offer “to meet on Thursday, in Turkiye, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH.” He added, however, that he was “starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin.”

Putin spoke Sunday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed readiness to host the talks, the Kremlin said.

According to the Kremlin’s readout of the phone call, Erdogan “fully supported the Russian proposal, emphasizing his readiness to provide” a platform for the talks in Istanbul, as well as “all possible assistance in organizing and holding the negotiations aimed at achieving sustainable peace.”

Erdogan also spoke to Macron on Sunday, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office, and said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war.

Russian attacks continue

Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired.

Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce.

Article by Samya Kullab and Dasha Litvinova.

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkiye, and Thomas Adamson-Koumbouzis in Paris contributed to this report.