European and U.S. officials, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, reportedly convinced Zelensky that attending the peace talks would reflect positively on Kyiv, diplomats told the Washington Post.
"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
Zelensky talks to reporters while meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Dec. 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Kyiv will determine its next steps in Ukraine-Russia peace talks when Moscow unveils its delegation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 14.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Ukraine and Russia are set to meet for direct peace talks on May 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused calls for a ceasefire and instead insists on negotiations to begin before a ceasefire is implemented.
Following Zelensky's address, the Kremlin announced that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky.
The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The delegation is notably void of the Kremlin's top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Following Putin's calls for direct peace talks, Zelensky on May 11 said he will attend the negotiations and invited Putin to meet him in Turkey.
In his address, Zelensky called for U.S. President Donald Trump to attend the peace talks.
"(W)e also hear that President Trump is considering attending the meeting in Turkey. That could become the strongest argument," he said.
Trump has said that the U.S. may consider implementing additional sanctions against Russia if it does not reach a peace deal with Ukraine to end the war.
Zelensky noted that various world leaders, including those from the Global South, support direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
"Today, there was a very important statement from Pope Leo XIV, expressing the Vatican’s willingness to play a mediatory role. The Vatican can help diplomacy," Zelensky said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of deploying European peacekeepers in Ukraine in an interview with ABC News released on May 11.
"We cannot allow NATO's military infrastructure to get that close to our borders," Peskov said.
Zelensky has repeatedly called for a 30-day ceasefire, saying on April 23, Ukraine insists on an "immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire."
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Kateryna Denisova
