Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Aug 26 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Turkey, the Gulf States or European countries could host any talks he may hold with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskiy is pushing for direct talks with Putin to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said no agenda had been prepared for such a meeting.

“Now, this week there will be contacts with Turkey, contacts with the Gulf States and with European states which could host talks with the Russians,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

“From our side, things will be prepared to the maximum in order to end the war.”

Zelenskiy spoke as his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said he and Ukraine’s national security council chief were in Qatar to meet that country’s defence minister.

In his comments, Zelenskiy also said that moving ahead with talks depended on coordination with Ukraine’s partners, primarily the United States, in ensuring that sufficient pressure was exerted on Russia. This, he said, had been discussed on Monday in Kyiv with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.

“Everything further depends strictly on the will of world leaders, most importantly the United States of America, to put pressure on Russia,” Zelenskiy said.

“Russia is only giving signals that it is going to continue to avoid real negotiations. This can only be changed by strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure.”

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

France on Tuesday returned three colonial-era skulls held in a Paris museum to Madagascar 128 years after they were taken to France, including one believed to be that of a Malagasy king killed by French troops.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More