“Our number one priority is a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy, first of all,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an address to the European Political Community Summit on May 16.
Dear friends!
Thank you all for your support, and I appreciate that we share the same understanding – this war, the war of Russian against Ukraine, must be ended as soon as possible, and in a just way. Ukraine needs peace. Peace in Europe depends on whether Ukraine will get it.
All of you know that this week we had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war – if only Putin hadn’t been afraid to come to Türkiye. I was in Ankara yesterday – and thanks for participation and hosting us, President Erdoğan – and I was ready for a direct meeting with Putin – whether in Ankara or in Istanbul – and not just for a meeting, but to resolve all the important issues, to my mind. But he didn’t agree to anything. I mean, Putin. You can also see that the Russian delegation that came to Istanbul is of a very low level. None of them are people who actually make decisions in Russia. Still, I sent our team to Istanbul, led by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, at least to see if those Russians can actually decide anything. Our number one priority is a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy, first of all. And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that – to ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step – then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy. If that’s not the case, there must be at least some result today, starting with a ceasefire. The Ukrainian delegation has a mandate to make decisions.
Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine
