Zelenskyy appoints his defense minister to lead the negotiations, confirms that a proposed truce obviates the need for a meeting with Putin.

Zelensky added, during a press conference in Ankara, that if Moscow fails to show any willingness to participate in ceasefire talks, other countries must exert more political and economic pressure on Russia and impose more sanctions.

He continued: "Russia does not feel the need to end the war, which means there is not enough political, economic, or other pressure on the Russian Federation. Therefore, we demand, if a ceasefire is not reached and serious decisions are not taken... the imposition of appropriate sanctions."

"Unfortunately, (the Russians) are not taking the negotiations seriously enough," Zelensky said, referring to the composition of the delegation sent by Moscow.

He announced that Defense Minister Rustam Umarov will lead his country's delegation to Istanbul for talks with Russia on Thursday, and will carry a mandate to discuss "steps to end the war, specifically reaching a ceasefire."

In response to Putin's proposal to resume direct negotiations on May 11, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed Turkey's readiness to host the negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace. The Ukrainian government welcomed the move, while the international community's attention turns to the meetings being hosted in Istanbul today.

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military attack on its neighbor, Ukraine, and has made ending the offensive conditional on Kyiv abandoning its membership in Western military entities. Kyiv considers this "interference" in its affairs.