'Need to put pressure on Russia to end the war,' Zelensky says hours before Trump-Putin call

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top officials on May 19 to evaluate the outcome of Ukraine-Russia negotiations held in Istanbul last week, the president announced on Telegram.

The Istanbul talks marked the first direct encounter between Ukrainian and Russian delegations since 2022. The meeting took place hours before a scheduled phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led Ukraine's delegation in Turkey, briefed Zelensky on the discussion.

"The meetings on May 15–16 demonstrated to the world our readiness to bring peace closer and, accordingly, the need to put pressure on Russia to end the war," Zelensky wrote.

The Russian delegation at the peace talks consisted solely of lower-ranking officials, despite the Kremlin proposing the discussions.

Zelensky said the most tangible result of the talks was an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from each side. Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has already begun preparatory steps to facilitate the transfer.

"The Ukrainian delegation managed to keep the conversation within a decent framework. All attempts of Russian threats were rejected," Zelensky added.

"Ukraine insists on the need for a complete and unconditional ceasefire to save lives and to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy."

A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent on May 16 that Russia's delegation pushed Kyiv to withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts — all of which Moscow claimed to annex in 2022, though it does not fully control any of them.

Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire in March and has reiterated that it remains open to a leaders-level meeting to address key issues.

"We are ready for this. Ukraine is not afraid of direct negotiations with Russia," Zelensky added.

He also announced the formation of a "permanent expanded national negotiating group" to work alongside international partners, whom he thanked for their support.

Despite calls for diplomacy, Russia escalated its attacks over the weekend, including the war's largest drone assault on May 18, when 273 drones entered Ukrainian airspace. The same day, Zelensky met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican to discuss sanctions, diplomacy, and battlefield coordination.

President Trump, who has resisted imposing new sanctions on Moscow so far, is scheduled to speak with Putin on May 19. He has said he will follow up with calls to Zelensky and NATO leaders.

"Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war — a war that should have never happened — will end," Trump wrote on Truth Social on May 17.