Zelenskyy proposes ceasefire until summit with Trump, Putin

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday proposed an unconditional ceasefire with Russia until a meeting is held between the countries' leaders, adding that Kyiv is prepared to meet "any day" in Istanbul, Switzerland, or the Vatican.

"The Russians are not ready for a ceasefire at the current delegation level. They told us clearly that this is a decision for the leaders. So, we propose a ceasefire until such a meeting takes place,” Zelenskyy said, urging international support for the idea, according to the Ukrainian state-run news agency Ukrinform.

He said Ukraine is ready for a leaders' summit starting Monday, and named Türkiye, the Vatican, and Switzerland as possible venues.

Zelenskyy added that US President Donald Trump's support would be appreciated. He said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already expressed support for such a meeting, suggesting a format including Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and himself.

“We are ready for such a meeting any day,” he stressed.

Zelenskyy underlined that if the meeting failed to produce de-escalation, Russia could “end the ceasefire on the same day,” but added: “If we see readiness for steps to reduce tension, we will continue the ceasefire with American monitoring and mediation.”

“We make this proposal now so that people in Ukraine and the world can see there is a real chance to end the war,” he said.

The remarks came after the second round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2, where Kyiv invited Moscow to a leaders’ summit between June 20 and 30.