Zelensky Repeats He Wants To Talk to Putin in Istanbul on May 15

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again stated that the ban on negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin does not apply to him.

According to Zelensky, it is only him alone who holds the constitutional authority to conduct negotiations on behalf of Ukraine. No one else is permitted to negotiate with Putin or other world leaders, Zelensky added.

Volodymyr Zelensky also reiterated that he would be waiting for the Russian president in Turkey.

Earlier, Zelensky said that a 30-day ceasefire would be an opportunity to open dialogue. “That period won’t be enough for anyone to fully regain strength,” he concluded.

Prior to that, he called Russia’s condition — halting military aid to Ukraine during the ceasefire — “dead” and said that it would help no one. The Ukrainian leader also stated that restricting the delivery of Western weapons across Ukraine’s border “won’t work.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said that he would like Presdient Putin to come for the peace summit in Istanbul.

"We're hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting," Kellogg said on Fox Business.

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Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is considered the country's economic, cultural and historic capital. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey, and is the most populous city in Europe and the world's 17th-most populous city.