Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday challenged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a weekend-long exchange of proposals from both sides on the next steps in the US-led peace effort.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding “direct talks” with Kyiv, a move welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky although he stressed that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire first.

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul that he said should be aimed at achieving a durable peace and eliminating the root causes of the war. Zelenskyy said he would meet Putin face to face.