Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized that any "fair" negotiations to end the war with Russia must involve Ukraine and European stakeholders. He stated that Ukraine, along with the European Union, Turkey, and the UK, should play a central role in discussions and the development of security guarantees for the region. Speaking from Ankara, Zelenskyy reiterated that neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve victory on the battlefield alone.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia as a positive step toward renewed peace talks, dismissing claims that Ukraine had been sidelined. Lavrov confirmed that both Washington and Moscow would appoint high-level teams to continue negotiations. While no specific agreements were reached, both sides indicated that the meeting could pave the way for a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his meeting with Zelenskyy, offered his country as an "ideal host" for future talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US. Erdogan praised the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh as a diplomatic initiative by Trump to swiftly end the war through negotiations. He also highlighted the significance of previous Russia-Ukraine talks held in Turkey in 2022, calling them a critical platform where the parties came closest to an agreement. Erdogan reaffirmed his support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy, however, criticized the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh, stressing that any meaningful negotiations must include Ukraine and European partners. He expressed frustration that discussions "about Ukraine" were taking place "without Ukraine" and announced the cancellation of his planned trip to Saudi Arabia. Instead, he looks forward to hosting a US delegation in Kyiv later this week.
The recent diplomatic efforts are seen as incremental steps toward a potential face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump. While no concrete agreements were made, the talks aimed to address longstanding tensions between the US and Russia and establish a mechanism to resolve ongoing disputes.
In a separate development, a pro-Russia hacker group, NoName57, targeted Italian government websites in response to a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The group attacked the websites of the defense, interior, and transport ministries, as well as law enforcement agencies.
Although the hackers also claimed to have targeted Italian banks, ports, airports, and local transport agencies, the attacks did not cause significant disruptions. In his speech, Mattarella had drawn parallels between Russia’s actions in Europe and the patterns that led to World War II, describing the conflict as a "war of conquest."
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