ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday proposed an unconditional ceasefire with Russia until a meeting is held between the countries' leaders, adding that Kyiv is prepared to meet "any day" in Istanbul, Switzerland, or the Vatican.

"The Russians are not ready for a ceasefire — at least, not at the level of their current delegation. They told us directly that this is a matter for the leaders. We are proposing — and I think our partners may support us — we are proposing to the Russians a ceasefire ahead of the leaders' meeting,” Zelenskyy said, according to Ukraine's state-run news agency Ukrinform.

He said Ukraine is ready for a leaders' summit starting Monday, and named Istanbul, the Vatican, and Switzerland as possible venues.

Noting that the Ukrainian side would be grateful if US President Donald Trump supported this idea, Zelenskyy said he is certain that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will express support for such talks, saying Erdogan told him in a previous conversation that he would like a four-way meeting with the presidents of the US, Russia and Ukraine.

“We are ready for such a meeting any day,” he stressed.

Zelenskyy underlined that Russia could unilaterally end the ceasefire if the proposed meeting failed to produce results toward a peace.

"If we see a path forward for dialogue and de-escalation, then the ceasefire could be extended — with American monitoring and their mediation guarantees," he said.

He went on to convey his readiness to meet with Putin even without a ceasefire, but stressed that serious sanctions on Moscow would be necessary if Russia shows no intention of ending the ongoing conflict after such negotiations.

On Monday, Istanbul hosted the second round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks after the first one, also in the Turkish metropolis, on May 16. This time, the two sides agreed to exchange more prisoners of war, focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded, and return the bodies of 6,000 soldiers from each side.

Speaking about the prisoner swaps agreed upon, Zelenskyy said that Moscow and Kyiv's teams held consultations earlier today, claiming the Russian side informed them that they could transfer 500 people on Saturday and Sunday.

"We will be prepared to exchange a corresponding number in return," Zelenskyy said, going on to define the draft memorandum given by Russia to Ukraine during the Istanbul talks as an "ultimatum."

"Nothing will work out with an ultimatum. The issue is not in the clauses of this agreement. The issue is in this or that clause, which can or cannot be fulfilled. The issue is that the spirit of the document is ultimatum," the Ukrainian president said in response to a question on under what conditions a third round of talks could take place.