Are direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in the cards as early as this week? While long considered taboo, the dual scenario remains unlikely but is now on the table under pressure from the Trump administration. On Sunday, May 11, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he "will be waiting for Putin in [Turkey]" on Thursday, the date on which the Russian president had proposed the day before to begin "direct" and "unconditional" negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

"I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses," said the Ukrainian president, while insisting on his demand for a "full and lasting ceasefire" starting Monday, to "provide the necessary basis for diplomacy." Kyiv's Western allies have also demanded the cessation of hostilities, but the Russian president does not intend to accept it as a preliminary to discussions.

There is no indication at this stage that Putin will accept the meeting proposed, like a duel, by Zelensky. His very tactical response came after a weekend of intense diplomatic maneuvers, initiated by the Europeans, to try to break the deadlock of indirect negotiations conducted so far through the US administration.

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