Zelenskyy to leverage U.S. pressure on Russia to restart talks
KYIV, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to leverage growing U.S. pressure on Moscow to revive stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Zelenskyy on Wednesday will travel to Turkey to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, people familiar with the plans said, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive information.
Turkey has played an intermediary role in the conflict, hosting previous talks between Ukraine and Russia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan may personally relay the outcome of the discussions to Moscow, which isn’t sending anyone to the meeting, if there’s a positive outcome, including on a potential prisoner exchange, one of the people said.
The Ukrainian leader announced his trip to Turkey earlier on Tuesday. “We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “Doing everything possible to bring the end of the war closer is Ukraine’s top priority.”
Zelenskyy will discuss with Erdogan “what to do to get a just peace in Ukraine,” he told reporters in Madrid on Tuesday. The president has “received certain signals from the U.S.,” he said, but declined to elaborate.
U.S. President Donald Trump has recently sought to exert pressure on the Kremlin, imposing his first major sanctions on Moscow last month that targeted Russia’s two biggest oil producers — Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC. Long-stalled legislation to impose secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian fuel may soon get a vote in the U.S. Senate after Trump told reporters on Sunday that he’s “OK” with it, Senator Lindsey Graham said Monday.
The U.S. leader had promised to end the war quickly after taking office in January. But diplomatic efforts have fizzled out as Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to agree to a ceasefire and stuck to maximalist demands that are unacceptable for Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russia has ramped up air attacks on Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure, causing rolling blackout across the country ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy said he would also push to rekindle exchanges of war prisoners. Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said on social media that he’s held talks mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on resuming the swaps since last week. Those discussions concern the release of 1,200 Ukrainians, he said.
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(With assistance from Selcan Hacaoglu and Daniel Basteiro.)