Egypt Daily News – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Ankara on Thursday for peace talks sponsored by Turkey, which will not be attended by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet separately in Istanbul for direct discussions on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s plane landed in Ankara, and he is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at noon. According to the Turkish presidency, Erdoğan will discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with Zelensky and “will urge the need for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks” during their meeting.
The discussions aim to explore opportunities to end the war, now in its third year. A Russian delegation is participating in the talks, though President Vladimir Putin is absent. Former U.S. President Donald Trump will also not attend, though he has expressed his willingness to participate.
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that the proposed talks between Russia and Ukraine had been postponed to the second half of the day at the initiative of the Turkish side.
