Whether the U.S. formally recognizes Crimea as Russian is out of Zelenskyy’s hands. But many obstacles prevent the Ukrainian president from doing so, even under immense pressure. He cannot unilaterally sign any such proposal, and he could be reprimanded by future governments for even attempting it, experts said.
starting Monday before holding talks, but Moscow effectively rejected the proposal and called for direct negotiations instead.It was not clear if Zelenskyy was conditioning his presence in Turkey on the Monday ceasefire holding, and there was no immediate comment from the Kremlin on whether Putin would go. In 2022, the war’s early months, Zelenskyy repeatedly called for a personal meeting with the Russian president but was rebuffed, and eventually enacted a decree declaring that holding negotiations with Putin had become impossible.
“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in (Turkey) on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday.Trump said in a social media post earlier Sunday that Ukraine should agree to Putin’s peace talks proposal “IMMEDIATELY.”“At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!” Trump wrote, adding: “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and Trump.The leaders pledged tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin did not accept the proposal.
in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected the offer and proposed
in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelenskyy and himself personally.The attack woke up Valentyna Fesiuk, an 83-year-old resident of Kyiv’s Obolon district.
“I was just sleeping when the house shook,” said Valentyna Fesiuk, an 83-year-old resident of Kyiv’s Obolon district. “It was at 12:30. An apartment on the 12th floor caught fire,” she told The Associated Press.Another resident, Viacheslav Khotab, saw his car burning. “I was covered with broken glass,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything.”
The 54-year-old was frustrated with stalled peace negotiations: “They can’t agree on anything, and we are the ones who suffer the consequences.”Municipal workers clean up burnt cars in the residential area following Russia’s drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)