Zelensky offers to meet Putin in Turkey 'personally'

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he would be willing to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkey personally , aft...

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he would be willing to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkey "personally", after Donald Trump said direct talks were needed to determine whether peace was possible.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Zelensky's offer, and the Ukrainian leader did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and its allies on Saturday.

Moscow and Kyiv have not held face-to-face negotiations since March 2022, shortly after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

"We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy," Zelensky said in a post on X.

"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Turkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses," he added.