President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address on 14 May that he is waiting for Russia to announce who will represent its side at the talks in Türkiye before deciding on Ukraine’s course of action.

Source: Zelenskyy’s address

Quote: "Today we held several meetings with the team regarding the format in Türkiye. I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will determine what steps Ukraine should take. So far, their signals in the media are unconvincing.

But we also hear that President Trump is considering being in Türkiye. So that could be the strongest argument. A week can really change a lot – but it may not. Right now, all of this is being decided."

Details: Zelenskyy added that Russia launched strike drones and ballistic missiles against Ukrainian territory on Wednesday. "While the whole world is waiting for Putin to give a simple ‘yes’ to the proposal for direct negotiations, he continues to strike Ukraine," he noted.

Background:

• Zelenskyy said he is scheduled to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday, but if Russian ruler Vladimir Putin agrees to come to Istanbul, both he and Erdoğan will fly there to meet him.
• Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that if Putin refuses to hold talks in Türkiye, this will indicate that Russia does not want to end the war.
• Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that the Russian side continues preparations for the talks in Istanbul on 15 May and would not provide any further comment.

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