Zelenskyy: Türkiye, Gulf states, European countries could host talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Türkiye, Gulf states or European nations could host potential talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“In the coming week there will be contacts with Türkiye, with Gulf states and with European countries that could host negotiations with the Russians,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

“From our side, everything will be prepared as fully as possible to bring the war to an end.”

His remarks came as his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, confirmed that he and Ukraine’s national security council chief were in Qatar for talks with the country’s defence minister.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for direct talks with Putin, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted no agenda has yet been set for such a meeting.

In his comments, Zelenskyy also said that moving ahead with talks depended on coordination with Ukraine's partners, primarily the United States, in ensuring that sufficient pressure was exerted on Russia. This, he said, had been discussed on Monday in Kyiv with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.

"Everything further depends strictly on the will of world leaders, most importantly the United States of America, to put pressure on Russia," Zelenskyy said.

"Russia is only giving signals that it is going to continue to avoid real negotiations. This can only be changed by strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure."

Copied