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Zelensky says wants Trump to be present at talks in Istanbul

Trump said earlier that he could travel to Istanbul if he felt this would be useful for the Ukraine settlement talks

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has said he would like US President Donald Trump to be present at the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 15.

"I supported Donald Trump’s idea about a complete and unconditional ceasefire, one long enough to give diplomacy a real chance. We want this as well, we are ready to ensure a lull on our part. I support President Trump’s idea of direct talks with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. I said straight away that I am ready for such a meeting. I will be in Turkey. <…> and, naturally, all of us in Ukraine would like President Trump to be there with us - at this meeting in Turkey. This is the right move," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Trump said earlier that he could travel to Istanbul if he felt this would be useful for the Ukraine settlement talks. Zelensky, in turn, also announced plans to be in Turkey on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin on May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited the Kiev authorities to resume the direct talks they broke off in 2022 without any preliminary conditions. He proposed to launch a dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul. The Russian leader recalled that Russia had declared ceasefires more than once but all of them, including the latest three-day V-Day truce, were violated by the Kiev regime.

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