Kremlin says Putin-Zelenskyy meeting possible only after agreement
The Hindu
Russian drone attack kills civilians in Ukraine, Zelenskyy calls for stronger sanctions, Putin-Zelenskyy meeting hinges on ceasefire agreement.
The Kremlin on Saturday (May 17, 2025) said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be possible only after both sides reach an agreement, a day after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct talks in more than three years, which did not result in a truce.
The morning after the talks, a Russian drone attack on a minibus carrying evacuated civilians in the eastern Sumy region killed nine people and wounded five, local authorities said.
"Yesterday, as on any day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire," Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on social media following the attack, adding that "Russia only retains the opportunity to continue killing".
He reiterated his call on Ukraine's allies to step up sanctions on Moscow.
"Without stronger sanctions, without stronger pressure on Russia, there will be no real diplomacy there," the Ukrainian president said.
The first direct talks since the spring of 2022 — shortly after Moscow's full-scale invasion that February — between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul resulted in a concrete agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
Ukraine's top negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said the "next step" would be a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
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