Zelensky pushes talks
- Ukraine's president says diplomacy can't wait and Kyiv is ready to restart peace talks in any format. - Kyiv warned 92 drones and 35 hypersonic missiles recently came within 5–20 kilometres of the Chernobyl site. - Turkey is re-engaging as a potential intermediary while Kyiv seeks venues outside Russia and Belarus, signalling diplomacy competes with other crises (al-monitor.com).
Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 22 that Ukraine is ready to restart peace talks with Russia “in any format” and in any venue except Russia or Belarus. (kyivindependent.com) Zelensky made the offer after nearly two months of stalled negotiations and said Kyiv had already kept talking with the United States side. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had specifically asked Turkey to host a summit and would consider any other capital outside Russia and Belarus. (kyivindependent.com; newswav.com) Turkey has been moving back into the diplomacy track this week. A Turkish diplomatic source said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was traveling to London for talks on Ukraine and Iran, after Ankara hosted a weekend diplomacy forum attended by delegations from multiple sides. (al-monitor.com) Kyiv is pushing for talks while warning that the war is still running close to one of Europe’s most sensitive nuclear sites. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko told Reuters that 92 drones and 35 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles had flown within roughly 5 to 20 kilometers of the Chornobyl and Khmelnytskyi nuclear plants. (usnews.com; censor.net) Chornobyl remains a live safety issue because Reactor 4, the unit that exploded in 1986, is covered by the New Safe Confinement, a giant steel arch meant to keep radioactive material contained and shield the wrecked reactor from outside hazards. The International Atomic Energy Agency said a drone strike on Feb. 14, 2025 pierced the roof of that structure. (iaea.org; iaea.org) The United Nations nuclear watchdog said in November 2025 that its assessment found the Chornobyl shelter had lost its main confinement function after that strike. Reuters reported this week that Kyiv is using the near-miss flight paths to argue that attacks around nuclear sites are creating the risk of a major accident. (iaea.org; usnews.com) Russia has not accepted Kyiv’s venue terms, and the Kremlin has said a Putin-Zelensky meeting could happen only to finalize agreements rather than open negotiations. Moscow has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian accusations that its strikes around nuclear infrastructure are reckless, while Kyiv is trying to pull mediation back toward Turkey and away from Russian or Belarusian soil. (europesays.com; kyivindependent.com) For now, Ukraine is trying to put diplomacy back on the calendar while air-raid maps still run near Chornobyl. Zelensky’s message on April 22 was that talks cannot wait for a quieter war. (kyivindependent.com; aljazeera.com)
