JAKARTA - Ukraine will decide on the next steps for peace negotiations in Turkey after clarity on Russia's President Vladimir Putin's participation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged Putin to attend the planned negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday. If Putin agrees to join, it will be the first meeting between the leaders of the two warring countries since December 2019.
"Everything will depend on whether Putin is afraid to come to Istanbul or not. Based on his response, the Ukrainian leader will decide the next steps," the diplomatic source said.
The Kremlin said the Russian delegation would be in Istanbul on Thursday for possible talks with Ukraine, but did not reveal who would attend from Moscow.
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The Kremlin also did not clarify whether Putin would come.
Live talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators last took place in Istanbul in March 2022 in the early weeks of the Russian invasion.
US President Donald Trump said he might be visiting Turkey for the talks as part of his trip to the Middle East this week but said he did not know if Putin would emerge.
Zelenskyy said his priority was to secure an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days.
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