President Trump, who won the European diplomacy weekend, pleaded with Ukraine on Sunday to accept Russia's proposal for in-person talks, rather than claiming a ceasefire first, as laid out in a plan announced a day ago by European leaders during his visit to Kiev.
Leaders from France, Germany, the UK and Poland have set a deadline for Monday to allow Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire.
When Russian President Vladimir V. Putin opposed the in-person meeting, France and Germany rejected the proposal without mentioning the ceasefire. General Keith Kellogg, Trump's envoy to Ukraine in talks, said early Sunday that Russia should stop the enemy as the first step in negotiations.
However, in a post about the True Society, Trump wrote, “Russian President Putin doesn't want to sign a suspension contract with Ukraine.” He wrote that Russian leaders wanted an in-person meeting hosted by Türkiye instead. “Ukraine should agree to this soon,” Trump wrote.
Earlier that day, Zelensky responded with caution to opposition to Russian in-person talks and reasserted the suspension of combat. After Trump's post, Zelensky puts a new twist on the diplomatic brink and said he would personally attend negotiations. Putin had not proposed a presidential meeting by proposing an in-person meeting.
Zelensky's declaration in the X post did not clarify whether his participation would depend on Russia's acceptance of a ceasefire first, but he called Russia again to stop hostilities in order to allow diplomacy.
“We are waiting for Putin in Turkey on Thursday,” he wrote. “Personally. I hope that the Russians don't look for excuses this time.”
The gusts of the exchange came hours after Putin effectively rejected the ceasefire deadline on Monday and instead proposed that direct consultations between representatives of both countries would take place in Istanbul on Thursday.
Before setting a Monday deadline and threatening additional sanctions, European leaders I spoke to Trump on a phone call from Kiev on Saturday. They said that if Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire, the US would impose sanctions on Russia.
In supporting the counteroffer for Russia's talks in Istanbul, Trump wrote, “At least they can determine whether a deal is possible, and if not, European leaders and the US can know where everything is and proceed accordingly.”
Since launching efforts to end the war in Ukraine three months ago, the Trump administration has reopened broader diplomatic relations with Moscow, in line with Russia in its UN vote on the war. It has implemented existing economic sanctions, but has not stepped up pressure with additional restrictions, despite showing little indication that Putin will pull back in the war.
The number of civilian casualties has increased since the Trump administration began ceasefire talks and ceasefire talks began, according to the United Nations. Ukraine agreed to the US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire in March.
In addition to Putin's call for a direct meeting, a Kremlin spokesman said on Saturday that Russia would only accept a ceasefire if Russia halts its weapons supply to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Russia's response inadequate, and when he left Ukraine it said “it's not a first step, but not enough.” Macron said Putin has been stagnant with in-person counter offers and he “want to buy time.”
In a statement on Sunday, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz supported Zelensky's demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire before the in-person meeting began.
“If the Russian side shows an appetite to speak now, that's a good sign at first,” Merz said. “But that's not enough. Moscow hopes to agree to a ceasefire that can allow actual consultations. The guns must first be silent before consultations begin.”
It was clear that European leaders who visited Kiev on Saturday would only agree to an unconditional ceasefire and would not spare Moscow's additional sanctions targeting oil exports and banks.
Turkish President Recept Tayp Erdogan spoke with Putin and said he was willing to host a debate between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement from the Turkish president. Erdogan said a comprehensive ceasefire could lead to a permanent deal to end the war.
The Kremlin declared a one-sided three-day ceasefire last week, centering on a celebration of the victory anniversary of Nazi Germany. Ukrainian troops confirmed that most long-range strikes had halted for that period, but continued without pausing what had been fighting along the front line.
Russia resumed long-range drone attacks on Ukraine overnight on Sunday. From midnight until morning Sunday, Russian forces will launch 108 Iranian-designed Shahed drones and issue air warnings in several cities, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Erica L. GreenAnastasia kuznietsova and Clay Risen contributed the report.
