Zelensky urges Trump to make Putin meeting happen

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky connected Tuesday urged US counterpart Donald Trump to assistance unafraid a gathering with Vladimir Putin successful Turkey connected Thursday, portion accusing the Russian person of not earnestly wanting to extremity the war.

Zelensky said successful Kyiv that the West should enforce monolithic sanctions if Putin skips the meeting, emphasising that helium would bash "everything" imaginable to marque it hap and unafraid a ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio volition beryllium successful the US delegation astatine the talks successful Istanbul which "could beryllium immoderate beauteous bully results," Trump said successful Riyadh arsenic helium started a four-day Middle East trip.

The Kremlin has refused to accidental whether Putin volition question to Turkey, aft helium himself projected Russia-Ukraine talks successful a play Kremlin address.

"This is his war," Zelensky said, "therefore, the negotiations should beryllium with him".

Any gathering betwixt Russian and Ukrainian officials would beryllium the archetypal nonstop negotiations since the aboriginal months of Moscow's February 2022 invasion.

Trump came to bureau successful January promising a swift extremity to the war, but has go progressively frustrated astatine what helium sees arsenic the nonaccomplishment of Kyiv and Moscow to compromise implicit the bloodshed.

Trump said Monday that helium was "thinking" astir going to the talks.

"I bash not cognize the US president's decision, but if helium confirms his participation, I deliberation it would springiness further impetus for Putin to come," Zelensky told a property conference.

- 'Strongest' sanctions -

"Putin does not privation the warfare to end, does not privation a ceasefire, does not privation immoderate negotiations," Zelensky said, adding nevertheless that helium "will bash everything to guarantee that this gathering takes place".

Russian airstrikes killed 2 radical successful Ukraine's eastbound portion of Kharkiv, which is connected the borderline with Russia, authorities said.

Zelensky urged the United States to deed Russia with its "strongest" ever sanctions should Putin not crook up -- saying a refusal would beryllium "a wide awesome that they bash not privation and are not going to extremity the war".

Putin's spokesperson refused to accidental who Moscow would nonstop to the talks.

- 'De-Nazification' -

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia would usage the talks to code its cardinal aims and the "root causes" of the struggle -- the "de-Nazification" of Ukraine and the "incorporation of caller territories into the Russian Federation".

Kyiv and the West cull those narratives, calling Russia's penetration an imperial-style onshore grab.

Putin projected Russia-Ukraine talks aft Kyiv and European countries urged Moscow to hold to a afloat and unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday.

Tens of thousands person been killed and millions forced to fly their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine, portion Moscow's service present controls astir one-fifth of the state -- including the Crimean peninsula, annexed successful 2014.

- Putin doesn't 'dare' conscionable -

Russia did not explicitly respond to Ukraine and the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland calling for Moscow to hold a 30-day ceasefire, though the Kremlin blasted European "ultimatums" successful an evident rejection.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Russia connected Tuesday that it would look caller European sanctions if determination was nary "real progress" this week towards bid successful Ukraine, arsenic helium urged Putin to conscionable Zelensky.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe would enforce caller sanctions if Moscow did not hold to the 30-day ceasefire.

The European Union has already imposed 16 rounds of sanctions connected Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine successful February 2022.

Macron, who has developed a lukewarm moving narration with Zelensky, said that "Ukrainians person the clear-sightedness to accidental they bash not person the capableness to retake everything that has been taken since 2014."

The EU's apical diplomat Kaja Kallas questioned whether Putin had the nervus to amusement up.

"I deliberation it's a bully determination if they beryllium down," Kallas told a ideology league successful Copenhagen. "But I don't deliberation helium dares, Putin."

Zelensky said helium would conscionable Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan successful Ankara connected Wednesday oregon Thursday and was acceptable to conscionable Putin either determination oregon successful Istanbul.

Russian and Ukrainian officials held talks successful Istanbul successful March 2022 aimed astatine halting the struggle but did not onslaught a deal.

Contact betwixt the warring sides has been highly constricted since, chiefly dedicated to humanitarian issues similar prisoner-of-war exchanges and the instrumentality of killed soldiers' bodies.

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