The European Union expects the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, to be ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday and is considering further sanctions due to the lack of a ceasefire, European Commission spokeswoman Paula Piñyo said during a briefing in Brussels on May 13, UNN writes.
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"Presumably, he was surprised by President Zelenskyy's willingness to meet in person. So, we look forward to President Putin's willingness to meet with President Zelenskyy on Thursday," Piñyo said, answering a question on how the EU interprets the silence while Putin ignores the call.
"We can confirm that in the absence of a ceasefire, as noted by several leaders, EU High Representative Kallas and President von der Leyen personally, we are indeed considering further sanctions," she said.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on May 11 that he expects a ceasefire from the Russian Federation from May 12, and that he will personally wait for Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.
Prior to that, Zelenskyy and the leaders of several NATO countries spoke with Trump by telephone and stressed that they were ready for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday. During the 15-minute conversation, Zelenskyy and NATO leaders told Trump that if a ceasefire is agreed upon, Ukraine is ready to start direct peace talks with Russia.
Later in the evening, Putin responded to the conditions. And although he did not accept the ceasefire proposal, he stated that he was ready to start direct negotiations with Ukraine on Thursday.
A few hours before Zelenskyy agreed to meet with Putin in Istanbul, Trump urged the President of Ukraine to accept the conditions in a post on Truth Social.
Axios, citing a Ukrainian official, stated that Zelenskyy's visit to Turkey will take place even if the Russian Federation does not agree to a ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump said that he may go to Istanbul, where a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may take place on Thursday.