In a development that could signal a pivotal shift in the prolonged Ukraine conflict, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga recently announced that Kiev is open to direct negotiations between President Vladimir Zelensky and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. This announcement comes amid a series of renewed diplomatic efforts in recent weeks, including indirect talks held in Istanbul and mediation proposals from the Vatican.

Speaking to Euronews, Sibiga confirmed that Ukraine has received multiple offers for potential meeting venues and is actively considering holding a high-level summit between the two presidents. “I can confirm to you that proposals to organize possible contacts, including at the level of leaders, were made by the Vatican,” Sibiga said, noting that Kiev is willing to explore “potential venues” for a direct Putin-Zelensky encounter.

The prospect of renewed peace talks comes after a three-year stalemate in diplomatic efforts between Russia and Ukraine. The dialogue was revived in Istanbul, Türkiye, last week, when delegations from both countries met for the first time since 2022. The Russian team was led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, while Ukraine’s delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

The Istanbul talks were initially clouded by uncertainty after Russian President Putin proposed direct and unconditional negotiations on May 15. Zelensky responded by expressing his willingness to travel to Türkiye, but made it clear he would only engage in talks if Putin himself participated-an offer the........

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