Key points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Turkey on Wednesday to seek renewed negotiations with Russian intermediaries. Kyiv says it has developed proposals to reignite talks, and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff may participate. The Kremlin has said Russia will not attend "for now," while Turkish FM Hakan Fidan may relay outcomes to Moscow. A top priority for Zelensky is reviving a prisoner-of-war exchange to secure the return of more than 2,500 captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Zelensky Travels to Turkey to Rekindle Negotiations; Prisoner Swap a Priority
Key points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Turkey on Wednesday to seek renewed negotiations with Russian intermediaries. Kyiv says it has developed proposals to reignite talks, and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff may participate. The Kremlin has said Russia will not attend "for now," while Turkish FM Hakan Fidan may relay outcomes to Moscow. A top priority for Zelensky is reviving a prisoner-of-war exchange to secure the return of more than 2,500 captured Ukrainian soldiers.
02:00 AM, 11/19/2025Conflict
Zelensky Travels to Turkey to Rekindle Negotiations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will travel to Turkey this Wednesday to press for renewed diplomatic contacts with Russian intermediaries. The visit follows his diplomatic trip to Spain and aims to restart negotiations that have been stalled for several months.
Negotiation push and proposals
The president said Kyiv has prepared concrete proposals it will present to partners as part of efforts to "reinvigorate negotiations." Zelensky emphasized that doing "everything possible" to bring the war to a sooner end remains Ukraine's top priority.
Who will attend
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to be in Turkey and may join discussions. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has indicated he could act as an intermediary and relay outcomes to Russian officials.
"We will wait for information about what will actually be discussed in Istanbul,"
said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that Russia will not participate in the talks "for now."
Prisoner exchange focus
Zelensky said a central objective of the trip is to revive a prisoner-of-war exchange to bring home more than 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces.
Context
Diplomatic communications between Kyiv and Moscow have produced no significant breakthroughs since the last known direct meeting between the two sides. This Turkish initiative appears aimed at creating a diplomatic channel through intermediaries in hopes of reviving dialogue and securing humanitarian outcomes such as prisoner releases.
Details on meeting participants and the proposals Kyiv intends to table have not been released publicly. Official reactions from Moscow are cautious, and Turkey's role as a potential go-between could shape whether any dialogue resumes.