Zelenskyy Orders Formation of Permanent National Negotiating Group
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine remains committed to ending the war through diplomacy, following the latest round of negotiations with Russia in Turkey.
In a statement following a high-level internal briefing, Zelenskyy said the Istanbul talks on May 15–16 demonstrated Ukraine’s readiness to move toward peace—and underscored the continued need for international pressure on Russia to halt its invasion.
“Meetings on May 15–16 showed the world our readiness to advance peace and, accordingly, the need to pressure Russia to stop the war,” Zelenskyy said. “In fact, the biggest result of the meeting was the agreement on a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 to 1,000. Our team is now working out the details.”
“Ukraine insists on the need for a full and unconditional ceasefire to save lives and provide the foundation for diplomacy,” Zelenskyy stressed. “Such a ceasefire should be long enough and have the potential to be extended. Our proposal, agreed upon with our partners, is 30 days. We are ready for this.”
He reiterated that Ukraine is open to direct leader-level talks to resolve core issues. “Ukraine is not afraid of direct negotiations with Russia, and it is important that the Russian leadership not prolong this war,” he said.
Zelenskyy stated that he instructed the formation of a permanent, expanded national negotiating group to advance Ukraine’s diplomatic goals.
As The Gaze reported earlier, during the talks in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia discussed the ceasefire and humanitarian issues, as well as a possible meeting at the level of leaders. In particular, they agreed to exchange prisoners in the format of "1000 for 1000".
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