Zelensky urges urgent talks

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine cannot wait for peace talks with Russia until fighting around Iran subsides, calling that delay a “big risk.” (cnn.com) In an interview aired April 22, Zelensky told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Kyiv is ready for talks “any moment, any format” and wants Turkey to mediate and host them. (cnn.com) Zelensky said he does not expect a ceasefire soon because United States attention has “shifted” toward the Middle East, and he linked progress on Ukraine to whether the Iran crisis is brought under control. (cnn.com, cnn.com) The timing matters because European Union leaders said on March 19 that Russia should accept a “full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire” and enter “meaningful negotiations” toward a just and lasting peace. (consilium.europa.eu) That language reflects the European Council’s current line that Ukraine is participating in diplomatic efforts while Russia has yet to agree to the ceasefire terms the bloc is demanding. (consilium.europa.eu, consilium.europa.eu) Moscow has kept its position that a Putin-Zelensky summit would come only after negotiators settle the substance first. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said a leaders’ meeting should formalize agreements already worked out by experts. (tass.com, tass.com) That leaves Turkey back in the frame as a possible venue, echoing its earlier role as an intermediary in talks between Kyiv and Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. (cnn.com, consilium.europa.eu) Zelensky’s message was that diplomacy on Ukraine should move in parallel with the Middle East crisis, not after it. He told CNN that waiting for the Iran war to end first would be a mistake. (cnn.com, cnn.com)