Zelenskyy says he is ready to sit across the table from Putin. But there are two things he says he will never hand over.
In an interview with CNN Türk, Ukraine's president said he is prepared to meet Vladimir Putin in Türkiye and hopes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan can help arrange it. "We are ready for this meeting in Turkey," he said, noting that Erdoğan has his own ties with the Russian leader.
Zelenskyy argued that talks at the presidential level are now necessary, because earlier contacts between the two sides have not ended the war. Topics could include a ceasefire along the front line, a system to monitor it, security guarantees, reconstruction and the status of occupied territories.
His red lines did not change. He rejected Moscow's demands that Ukraine give up the Donbas or recognise Crimea as Russian, saying either step would violate Ukraine's constitution. He also insisted that no one can decide Ukraine's fate without Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not accepted a meeting. It previously rejected the idea of talks on the sidelines of the G20, has suggested Moscow as a venue in the past, and says leaders should meet only to sign finished agreements.
Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff says working-level talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November.
Do you think a face-to-face Zelenskyy–Putin meeting could move the war closer to an end? Tell us in the comments.
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