President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a scheduled meeting with the Turkish president in Ankara on Thursday; however, if Vladimir Putin decides to fly to Istanbul, he and Erdogan will go to meet him.

Zelensky shared this information with reporters on Tuesday, as reported by "European Truth".

He also mentioned that a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planned for May 15, which has already been agreed upon.

"We are hopeful for a meeting with Putin in Turkey. If Russia does not want to manipulate the situation and claim that Putin is not ready to come to Ankara but only to Istanbul... if Putin comes to Istanbul, I have signaled President Erdogan, and we are prepared to go there together", – emphasized Zelensky.

He added, "We will do everything possible to ensure this meeting happens" and noted that he can only negotiate a ceasefire with Putin, as "only he has the authority to decide that".

Zelensky mentioned that U.S. President Donald Trump was invited to join the meeting, but his response is currently unknown. 

"But if he confirms his participation, it would provide additional impetus for Putin to attend", – stated the Ukrainian president.

U.S. special representatives Steve Vitkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul, where negotiations between Ukraine and Russia may take place on Thursday.

Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak stated that if Putin refuses to come to Turkey, this will be a clear signal of Russia's unwillingness to end the war.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that the Russian side continues preparations for negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 and is not providing any further comments.