Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he is ready for "any form of negotiations" to end the war with Russia.
Zelensky said in his daily address that he would decide on "measures to be taken" once he knew who would represent Moscow at the talks scheduled for tomorrow in Istanbul.
"I am waiting to see who will arrive from Russia. Then I will decide what steps Ukraine will take. Ukraine is ready for all forms of negotiations and we are not afraid of meetings," Zelensky added.
He assessed that "the signals that have appeared in the media so far are not convincing."
He says that Russian President Vladimir Putin, instead of considering negotiations, "continues to attack Ukraine."
"In fact, it is now more obvious to the whole world than ever during this full-scale war... that the only obstacle to establishing peace is Russia's lack of clear will to do so," Zelensky said, as reported by Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference yesterday that the Russian side is continuing to prepare for the talks scheduled for Thursday. "That's all we can say. We don't plan to comment further at this time," he said at the time.
Lavrov won't go to Turkey for negotiations?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will not participate in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, the Kommersant daily reported.
Reuters reports that they were not immediately able to confirm the Kommersant report, which did not cite a source for the information.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remain "possible options" for what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in years, after the Kremlin on Wednesday delayed releasing information about who would represent Russia.
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