Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said. Zelenskyy said that if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there.

Trump has claimed that Putin would be unlikely to turn up to the key Ukraine talks if the US President isn't there. The Russian despot is yet to confirm he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey.

Ukraine has so far only considered a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. No other formats of contact with Russia were discussed, stated Zelenskyy during a press conference.