Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is all up for some peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye on 15 May. Zelenskyy is like, “Let’s end this war, bro.” He’s really hoping Putin won’t chicken out and find some lame excuse to cancel the meeting. This could be the first time these two dudes meet face-to-face since the war started over three years ago.
Zelenskyy was on a call with Trump and some NATO leaders on 10 May, and they were all like, “Let’s stop fighting for 30 days, cool?” Zelenskyy was like, “Sure thing, but only if Russia agrees.” He’s packing his bags for Türkiye no matter what Putin says.
But Putin, on the other hand, was like, “Nah, no ceasefire for me. Let’s chat in Istanbul starting on the 15th, but no conditions, okay?” He’s all about tackling the “root causes of the conflict” and maybe agreeing on a ceasefire during the talks. But he’s not making any promises to stop the fighting before that.
Some smarty pants at the Institute for the Study of War warned that Ukraine giving in to Russia’s demands would be a major defeat. Russia wants Ukraine to be all neutral, give up NATO dreams, and shrink its military big time. Plus, they want a pro-Russia leader and Russian as an official language. Sounds like a bad deal, right?
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was like, “No way we’re talking under drones. Full ceasefire first, please.”
Before Zelenskyy said yes to meeting Putin in Istanbul, Trump was like, “Just do it already!” He thinks it’s important for Ukraine to see if they can work things out. If not, at least everyone will know where they stand.
Zelenskyy is down for some negotiations and is open to any format to end the war. He’s all about that “unconditional ceasefire” life and promises Ukraine will play fair.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that if Putin says no to the ceasefire, more sanctions are coming Russia’s way. Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office thinks Putin is just stalling for time while planning a big attack on Ukraine.
So, like, yeah, peace talks are in the air, but who knows if they will actually happen. The drama continues in Eastern Europe.
