Zelenskyy Rejects Russia’s Peace Offer, Demands Putin Meeting/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s latest ceasefire proposal as an “ultimatum.” He called for a direct summit with President Putin, possibly including U.S. mediation. Zelenskyy emphasized the need for a pre-summit ceasefire to avoid another diplomatic stalemate.
Zelenskyy Calls Out Putin’s Peace Terms: Quick Looks
- Ultimatum, Not Peace: Zelenskyy labeled Russia’s latest ceasefire terms as “spam” meant to stall negotiations.
- Talks Deadlocked: No progress was made in Monday’s Istanbul peace talks, echoing May’s fruitless session.
- Summit Proposal: Zelenskyy proposed a leaders’ summit involving Putin and Trump, with U.S. mediation.
- Ceasefire First: Ukraine wants a ceasefire before any high-level summit to test diplomatic sincerity.
- Delegation-Level Talks Deemed Ineffective: Zelenskyy said current delegates lack authority to resolve key issues.
- Venue Options Named: Kyiv is open to hosting summit talks in Istanbul, the Vatican, or Switzerland.
- Swapping the Fallen: Both sides only agreed to exchange dead and wounded soldiers during recent talks.
- Next Steps: Another potential prisoner exchange is planned for the coming weekend.
Deep Look: Zelenskyy Rejects Russian Ceasefire Proposal, Urges Direct Talks With Putin
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected Russia’s latest ceasefire offer, branding it an “ultimatum” rather than a genuine attempt at peace, and instead proposed direct face-to-face talks with President Vladimir Putin, potentially mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, held Monday in Istanbul, yielded no breakthroughs. Zelenskyy described the session as little more than “artificial diplomacy,” accusing Moscow of using the negotiations to delay Western sanctions and present a false image of engagement.
“The same ultimatums they voiced back then — now they just put them on paper,” Zelenskyy said during a press briefing in Kyiv. “Honestly, this document looks like spam.”
Despite growing international pressure and a war now in its fourth year, neither side seems willing to shift their red lines, and Zelenskyy indicated that lower-level peace delegations are not equipped to make meaningful progress.
“It’s a political performance,” he added. “We’ve already seen this script back in the early days of the war.”
Summit With Putin — And Trump?
In a bold move, Zelenskyy suggested a direct summit with Putin, with President Trump potentially mediating the high-stakes dialogue. He emphasized that a pre-summit ceasefire would be crucial to ensure that negotiations don’t collapse on day one.
“We propose a ceasefire before a leaders’ summit,” he said. “If the summit yields no agreement, the ceasefire would end. But if there’s a clear path toward de-escalation, we can extend it — with U.S. guarantees.”
While Kyiv has proposed multiple locations for such a summit — including Istanbul, the Vatican, and Switzerland — no agreement has been reached, and the Kremlin has yet to respond publicly to Zelenskyy’s summit call.
Deadlock at the Delegation Level
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led Ukraine’s delegation in Istanbul, while longtime Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky represented Russia. According to Zelenskyy, both sides brought forward memorandums outlining their positions, but neither document offered realistic compromises.
The meetings reportedly lasted just over an hour and resulted in only one agreement — the exchange of thousands of fallen and seriously injured troops from both sides. No diplomatic progress was made toward ending the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
“There is little value in continuing talks at the current level,” Zelenskyy said bluntly.
Upcoming Prisoner Exchange and Global Stakes
Zelenskyy also confirmed that a new prisoner swap with Russia could take place this weekend, continuing a rare area of coordination amid ongoing hostility.
As economic strain deepens and military pressure intensifies on both sides, the international community watches closely. With Russia signaling no retreat from its core demands and Ukraine refusing to surrender its sovereignty, any movement toward peace will likely require a seismic diplomatic shift — potentially from the very top.
If direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin are to materialize, the conditions must be clear, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
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