In brief: Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin in Turkey to discuss a ceasefire, security guarantees and occupied territories, but ruled out handing over the Donbas or recognizing Crimea as Russian. He also said Ukraine must be included in any negotiations on ending the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey, expressing hope that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could help arrange the talks.
In an interview with CNN Türk, Zelensky described direct negotiations at the presidential level as necessary, arguing that previous contacts between the two sides had failed to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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“We are ready for this meeting in Turkey. I know that President Erdoğan has his own ties with Putin. That is why we support holding a meeting in Turkey,” Zelensky said.
He argued that a face-to-face meeting could help resolve issues that have remained unsettled in negotiations between the countries’ delegations and technical working groups.
“That is precisely why I want to meet with him – as the person who makes the decisions,” Zelensky said.
He said a ceasefire along the front line and a mechanism to monitor compliance with any agreements should be among the main topics of a potential meeting.
He also said the leaders should discuss security guarantees, Ukraine’s reconstruction and the status of occupied territories. However, Zelensky ruled out accepting Putin’s demands that Ukraine hand over the Donbas or recognize Crimea as Russian territory, saying such concessions would violate the Ukrainian Constitution.
Zelensky says Ukraine’s fate cannot be decided without Kyiv
Zelensky also addressed the possibility of attending the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami in December, saying Ukraine had not yet received an official invitation from Washington.
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He said there had been signals that US President Donald Trump might invite Ukraine, potentially alongside an initiative aimed at ending the war.
“The discussion touched upon the possibility that President Trump might invite us to the G20 summit and perhaps put forward an initiative aimed at ending the war. Naturally, if Trump extends an official invitation, we will welcome it,” Zelensky said.
The United States invited Putin to the summit in September, raising the possibility of a meeting between the Russian leader and Trump. The Kremlin had previously rejected Zelensky’s proposal to meet Putin on the sidelines of the gathering.
On Oct. 31, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington might invite Zelensky if his participation could help produce positive results. Trump also did not rule out the possibility on Nov. 1.
Zelensky stressed that any negotiations over ending the war must include Ukraine, rejecting the idea that other countries could decide its future without Kyiv’s involvement.
“It is impossible. You cannot decide Ukraine’s fate without Ukraine. That would be unfair and would lead nowhere. It is illogical to negotiate the fate of a country without the country itself being present,” he said.
He added that similar attempts by other leaders in the past had failed to produce results.
Zelensky also pointed to Russia’s failure to achieve its initial military objectives, despite its claims that it could conquer Ukraine within days.
“Russia, for instance, considered itself a great power and claimed it would conquer Ukraine in three days. We are now entering the fifth year of the war. For five years, Russia has been unable to conquer Ukraine,” he said.
He added that no third country had the right to negotiate matters of Ukrainian sovereignty without Ukraine’s direct participation.
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