Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that he will travel to Turkey this week to try to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. Turkey hosted earlier low-level talks this year, which led mainly to prisoner exchanges, but no major breakthrough on peace has been achieved.
Zelenskyy said he will arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, following a visit to Spain where he sought new international support. “We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners,” he said on social media, without providing further details.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that no Russian representatives would attend the Turkish meetings, though Moscow remains open to future discussions. U.S. President Donald Trump has also expressed frustration over Russian inflexibility, and new U.S. sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry are set to take effect Friday to pressure Moscow into negotiations.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes amid ongoing fighting. Ukraine recently launched an aerial attack on energy infrastructure in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, leaving areas without power. Russian-appointed authorities described the assault as “unprecedented.” In Kharkiv, a 17-year-old girl was killed and 10 others injured by a Russian missile strike, while drone attacks in Dnipro damaged residential buildings and public infrastructure. Ukrainian forces reported intercepting 114 Russian drones overnight.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy signed a letter of intent in Paris to purchase up to 100 French Rafale warplanes, along with drones and ground-to-air systems. He also plans meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, parliament leaders, and his political party, Servant of the People, to coordinate strategy.
Despite Ukraine’s heavy losses and ongoing Russian strikes, Zelenskyy emphasized that ending the war remains the country’s top priority, while international pressure and sanctions aim to push Russia toward meaningful negotiations.
The Turkish visit marks a critical attempt by Kyiv to restart dialogue and explore possible pathways toward ending the conflict, even as fighting continues across multiple fronts.