Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul, led by Defense Minister Rustam Umerov, to participate in talks with a team from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, following talks in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Zelensky, who has called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, told a news conference in Ankara that he would not go to Istanbul to attend the talks, after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to show up and instead sent what the Ukrainian leader described as a "low-ranking team," Reuters reported.
Zelensky said the proposed meeting with Putin could be scrapped if a ceasefire agreement between the two countries is reached during technical talks in Istanbul.
He said that if Moscow does not show willingness to engage in ceasefire negotiations, other countries should exert greater political and economic pressure on Russia and impose additional sanctions.
"Russia does not feel that it needs to end (the war), which means that there is not enough political, economic and other pressure on the Russian Federation," he said. "And that is why we are asking: if there is no ceasefire, if there are no serious decisions... we are asking for appropriate sanctions."
Erdogan: We are ready to host them when they are ready
Erdogan told Zelensky that Turkey was ready to host him and Putin for peace talks "when they are ready," his office said.
The statement said Erdogan stressed the need for channels of dialogue between the parties to remain open, given the "historic opportunity" to begin peace talks, and that they should meet on the basis of their minimum common positions, Reuters reports.
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