Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he would be ready to meet Vladimir Putin for talks in Istanbul on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump told him to agree to an offer of talks with Russia immediately.

Volodymyr Zelensky has thrown down the gauntlet – and is calling Vladimir Putin’s bluff – by announcing he will indeed be in Turkey on Thursday for direct talks on a ceasefire.Over the weekend, Putin effectively rejected the Ukrainian president’s call for 30-day unconditional truce,

Kyiv residents reacted early Monday to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer to meet Putin face-to-face in Turkey. Russia launched more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, the Ukrainian air force said Monday,

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will be “waiting for Putin In Turkey” so the pair can hold face-to-face talks to end the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president spoke out after his Russian counterpart offered to “resume negotiations” in Istanbul on Thursday this week.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8 that he believed either Turkey or China would serve as a capable "mediator" if the United States pulls out of negotiations to end the war. Speaking to reporters following an EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Warsaw,

Turkey and the United Kingdom agreed to hold the first round of negotiations to modernize and expand the scope of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between them by end-July, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said on Wednesday.

Turkey condemned India's military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan, warning of an increased risk of war. Azerbaijan also expressed concern, condemning the attacks that harmed civilians and urging diplomatic resolution to the conflict.