On May 15, President Volodymyr Zelensky will be waiting in Turkey to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as the US insists.

Putin himself proposed to move to direct negotiations "without preconditions in Istanbul." US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should agree. Zelensky replied that he was ready to meet with the Russian dictator in Ankara, where he would talk to Recep Erdogan, but he could also fly with him to Istanbul .

Moscow has not yet officially announced the composition of the delegation that will go to the negotiations.

Kyiv and Moscow are currently competing more for the attention of US President Donald Trump than for finding a path to peace, Mykola Kapitonenko, an analyst at the International Center for Policy Studies, tells LIGA.net.

Zelensky's readiness for the meeting should convince Trump that Kyiv wants peace, and Moscow is leading him by the nose, adds LIGA.net to former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko.

The further development of events will largely depend on what conclusions Trump draws from this meeting (at whatever level it takes place).

What can the meeting in Istanbul affect and what are the most likely scenarios after it?

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владимир путинтурцияДональд ТрампВладимир ЗеленскийСтамбул